Mozambique will soon have two 400-kilovolt (kV) power transmission lines linking the provinces of Tete Province and Maputo, covering a distance of around 1,300 kilometres to strengthen electricity supply across the country.
The information is contained in a report prepared and presented by a consortium led by Norwegian consultancy Norconsult, aimed at proposing a solution for the national electricity transmission infrastructure, taking into account the national and regional context marked by the development of gas-fired thermal power plants in Mozambique.
“The infrastructure is expected to enable the transmission of electricity generated in the central part of the country, mainly from renewable sources, in order to strengthen domestic supply. The project will also enable new energy developments, especially the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project, while boosting industrial development along the transmission corridor,” the document states.
Cited by the Televisão de Moçambique, the report said the project is valued at 1.4 billion dollars and will be financed with support from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Union and other partners.
The future transmission lines will be managed by Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and form part of the National Strategy for the Promotion of Clean Energy, Industrialisation, Universal Electricity Access and Regional Integration.
“This will be the appropriate solution not only for Mphanda Nkuwa, but also to prepare the system for the future in terms of new renewable energy plants, leveraging hydropower potential as well as fossil fuels such as gas,” it added.
The construction of the infrastructure will include an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), covering the identification, characterisation and evaluation of environmental impacts resulting from the construction and operation of the project, as well as the definition of mitigation measures to optimise its environmental performance.
