Zambezi River Basin

Table 5.2. Future Hydropower Projects in the Zambezi River Basin

Base case

Alternative case

Capacity (MW)

Operating year

Capacity (MW)

Operating year

Project

Status

Utility

River

Country

Type

Tedzani 1& 2 Kariba North Kafue Gorge Upper Kapichira II Kariba North HCB North Bank Itezhi Tezhi Kariba South Songwe I, II & III Batoka Gorge South Batoka Gorge North Kafue Gorge Lower Mphanda Nkuwa Lower Fufu Kholombidzo Rumakali

refurbishment refurbishment refurbishment extension extension extension extension extension new project new project new project new project new project new project new project new project

ESCOM ZESCO ZESCO ESCOM ZESCO HCB ZESCO ZESA ESCOM ZESA ZESCO ZESCO EdM

Shire Zambezi Kafue Shire Zambezi Zambezi Kafue Zambezi Songwe Zambezi Zambezi Zambezi Zambezi S. Ruhuru Shire Rumakali

Malawi Zambia Zambia Malawi Zambia Mozambique Zambia Zimbabwe Malawi, Tanzania Zimbabwe Zambia Zambia Mozambique

Pondage Reservoir Pondage Pondage Reservoir Reservoir Reservoir Reservoir Reservoirs

40 120 150 64 360 n/a

2008 2008-09

40 120 150 64

2008 2008 2009 2010 2012 2012 2013 2014 2024

2009 2010 2010 n/a

360 850 120 300 340 800 800 750 2 000

120 300 340 800 800 750 1 300

2013 2014 2014-16

Pondage Pondage Pondage Pondage Run-of-River

2017 2017 2017 2020 n/a n/a 2022

2023-24 2023-24 2017-22

2024 2024 2025 n/a

ESCOM ESCOM TANESCO

Malawi Malawi Tanzania

n/a n/a 222

100 240 256

Pondage Reservoir

Source: World Bank 2010

Itezhi-Tezhi Power Project The proposed project would be in the Itezhi Tezhi District in the Southern Province of Zambia. A surface power plant will be built adjacent to the existing Itezhi Tezhi Dam. It will utilize the existing reservoir. In order to evacuate the power generated, a 300km 220/330kV T-line will be installed from Itezhi Tezhi through a substation at Mumbwa, onto a substation at Lusaka West. Once completed, the power station would generate about 120 MW of electricity (SARDC 2009b). Kafue Gorge Dam Lower Project The new Kafue Gorge Lower hydroelectric station, south of the Zambian capital Lusaka, is expected to have a capacity of 660 MW, becoming the second-largest generating facility in Zambia. It would be located in the Kafue Gorge, about  65 km upstream from the confluence of the Kafue River with the Zambezi River. Kariba North and South Bank Extension Zambia and Zimbabwe plan to extend the existing plants at the Kariba Dam. Extension of the Kariba North Bank power station, located more than 130 km south of Lusaka is expected to produce about 720 MW when fully operational. Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Dam The Mphanda Nkuwa power plant has capacity to add about 1 500 MW of new electricity on the regional power grid. The proposed dam is 70 km downstream of the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique.

Proposed Dams for Irrigation or Domestic Use

With regard to the construction of dams for irrigation or domestic consumption, one of the projects identified for commissioning over the next few years is the Matabeleland-Zambezi Water Supply project in Zimbabwe. The Matabeleland-Zambezi Water Project (MZWP) is an ambitious proposal for the arid Matebeleland North province of Zimbabwe. The project seeks to address the perennial water shortages affecting Zimbabwe’s second city Bulawayo, by bringing water from the Zambezi River to the city. The proposed project consists of three phases:

• Phase One: Gwayi-Shangani Dam • Phase Two: Gwayi-Shangani Dam to Bulawayo Pipeline • Phase Three: Gwayi-Shangani Dam to Zambezi River Pipeline

Another initiative is the Zambezi Integrated Agro-Commercial Development Project which is in two phases. The first phase involves extracting water from the Zambezi into a 20 000 hectares greenfield farming area about 50 000 kilometres from Kazungula. The second phase supports the Pandamatenga Agricultural Infrastructure Development Project in Botswana which involves taking water from the Zambezi River to Pandamatenga area to irrigate the farms. The specific objective of the project whose timeframe is 2008 to 2012 is to develop appropriate water control drainage system and access road network in Pandamatenga (AfDB 2008).

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