Zimbabwe and Zambia have picked General Electric Co. and Power Construction Corp. of China to build a $4 billion hydropower project straddling their border, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said.
The 2,400-megawatt Batoka Gorge plant has been planned for years by the two southern African nations, both of which are struggling with electricity shortages after a drought curbed hydropower output.
General Electric and Power China are in a consortium that was shortlisted in February to build the facility.
“Zambia and Zimbabwe have agreed on this project. We have all agreed that we give it to GE — China Power and GE together,” Mnangagwa said in an interview Wednesday in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, where he was attending a conference.
“It’s critical that we move fast on that front because it’s necessary that as we industrialize that we need electricity.”
While the project will address electricity shortages, it’s on the same river, the Zambezi that has left the Kariba hydropower dam downstream too empty to function at full capacity.
GE said in an emailed response to questions that the Zambezi River Authority, which manages power plants on the river, had said it would appoint a final developer for the project by September.
As part of the consortium, GE would have a “material role in the development and execution of the project,” including the design and supply of hydropower technologies, it said.
Zambian Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa said he wasn’t available to comment.
The project will be based on a build-operate-transfer financing model and won’t put any fiscal strain on the two nations’ governments, Mr. Nkhuwa said in February.
The $4 billion cost of the project includes amounts for civil works, construction and power turbines, among other things, GE said on Thursday.
The African Development Bank said in September it has begun mobilizing funds for the plant.
Other bidders that had been shortlisted included Salini Impregilo SpA of Italy and a joint venture comprising China Three Gorges Corp., China International Water & Electric Corp. and China Gezhouba Group Co., according to Mr. Nkhuwa.
Bloomberg
Ok, sounds good!
This is sweat !!!
# GE is the best in the world, founded by the Great American (Thomas Edson ) who has inspired the world over the last 100 plus years having invented the first electric bulb.
# Power China on the other hand is the giant of China.
Surely, this is good development coming to the soils of Zambia. Lets give credit to the brothers and sisters who have put this deal together, without going on political party lines.
WELL DONE! ! PRESIDENT EDGAR C. LUNGU
FOR SETTING YOUR SIGHT TO SEE THIS COME THROUGH. WHERE CREDIT IS DUE, WE SHALL GIVE IT TO YOU. WHEN YOU MISS STEP, WHEN SHALL OPENLY CRITICISE YOU.
What is this to do with Zambia?
Let’s roll …
With GE involvement, thumbs up this could lead to a successful implementation. GE is is a great company, success guaranteed.
Well done on this first step!! Keep away from the vultures !!
Where will water come from? There will be no rains in the region in the next 15 years. Check the effects of Climate change please before you embark on anysuch projects . With no water, this will be another white elephant.
Who cares about rains or water?
What is important, is to collect kick-back’s of USD 4 Billion from “no question ask” new colonial power for rainy days once out of the office.
Shame that will be divided between two “sister” parties which do not care sh!t about repayment.
Another two honorary degrees for “financial acumen”, this time from Zimbabwe University in offing?
Some thinking is very,very strange! The day you plant a seed is not the day you will eat the fruit.Noah of the bible looked foolish until it rained.
Scientist #2
I expect more from someone who uses the pseudonym name # [ Scientist ]
Zambia has a good water table also called + Underground Water. We can use (i) Waste Recycled Water and (ii) Underground Water – to rerun turbine engines that produces Electric Power. This new technology is happening right now in other nations in the world. How do think dry nations such as Israel, Qatar in the middle east produce electric power
+++ You don’t just go and invest $4 Billion without, researching and looking at long term. We are also blessed with two giants companies ( GE & Power China ) who are good at the doing this. +++
So lets appreciate what we have. It one thing to have #Constructive Criticism and another thing to be all…
cont.. from 2.2
…. another thing to be all time #negative about life and #shoot everything down.
Enjoy the day ..
The biggest advantage the scheme has is that the same water or little water as you seem to suggest will be used to generate electricity TWICE, first at Batoka then at Kariba and water will be saved through what is called conjunctive use.
Why not spend this Money on solar projects when we know weather pattern
In this region. It is like driving in the ditch
When you can see it.
How much arable land will you use for 2400 MW?
@ 1 Yambayamba,
Really it sounds good. A nice start from you.
@2.2 INDEPENDENT OBSERVER,
As usual you always come LOADED and WELL VERSED. Thanks for putting the so called @ 2 SCIENTIST to the Recycled Bin. I think he should call himself @ Dull Scientist.
It can ONLY make sense when and if he became president. Otherwise he will say No. Even his chief will say no
This is okay.
What if the contribution half of ours is invested in clean green energy like solar farms scattered all over the country, and Zimbabwe does the same?
We for sure we will always have the sun and solar energy does not have negative effects on the environment.
With the same amount of money we can generate more power through solar that hydro.
It clearly says “build-operate-transfer financing model”. There is no “half of ours” or theirs involved here. How exactly must they put it for you to understand?
It is good that we are moving forward.
The concern is the lack of transparency. This projects preparatory documents have not been fully completed. Was the environmental impact assessment done? The tender, if there was one, was done secretly. This is why in Zambia they have no comment.
Zambia must start thinking outside the box in view of climate change to use its water resources efficiently for hydropower generation. Part of the Luapula River can be diverted to the Kafue River, an idea first suggested by Simon Zukas and the Kafue River into Lake Kariba after generating electricity at Kafue Gorge or else we risk having these hydropower infrastructures as white elephants with very little water to run them. I like the idea of using the same water at Lake Itezhitezhi to generate electricity at Itezhitezhi, Kafue Gorge Upper and Kafue Gorge Lower.
Ba LT the caption on the image is perpetually incorrect. The Batoka dam has not started construction… Use TinEye to check. This is photo of a Nigerian dam
The only problem I can see here is that you only insist on building electricity projects in one province while there are provinces with rivers which don’t experience any droughts.
There are so many rivers in northern province which run full capacity of water through out the year and no one wants to use those rivers, who knows the motive of concentrating on what doesn’t work and forsake what can work for the country Zambia try to think country wide you may find what you are looking for.
That is just my advice.
It is not just about having a river then you can build a hydropower plant – the topography of the terrain where the river is, is equally important – otherwise you will not be able to “dam” the river to create the water reservoir.
@10 Nshilimubemba,While my thinking is NOT regional,I support your views.That is what Cyprian Chitundu as MD of ZESCO was trying to promote,mini hydropower stations close to communities and to feed in the National Grid on most of the rivers in the northern part of the country.But it appears the focus is on pleasing selfish,greedy Zimbabweans!!
This is good business opportunity instead of wasting time on this blog, research on how this project can benefit you. From that $4bn smart people will come out with pensions. Not through corruption!!!
The FINANCE MODEL is GOOD and ONLY FAVOURS VERY POOR COUNTRIES LIKE ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE, HOWEVER, DUE TO POOR ECONOMIC POWER FOR THESE KANGAROO COUNTRIES THE PPP IS VERY LOW FROM THEIR CITIZENS HENCE GE AND CHINA WILL NEVER DEVELOP THIS PROJECT MARK MY WORKS, EVEN GE AND CHINA DONT EVEN LOOK EXCITED , NO COMMENT FROM THEM ONLY GE SAYING HE WIL APPOINT A DEVELOPER IN SEPTEMBER, CHINA IS QUIET WHAT A TENDER? EVEN NO TECHNICAL DATA MENTIONED LIKE CONSTRUCTION TIME,….WASTED YEARS OF FOOLING AFRICANS