The European Union (EU) has allocated €113 million (approximately US$120 million) for the refurbishment of Kariba Dam as part of its Global Gateway initiative aimed at enhancing Zimbabwe’s electricity generation capacity.
EU ambassadors to Zimbabwe and Zambia, Jobst von Kirtman and Karolina Stasiak, along with Energy Minister Edgar Moyo, his Zambian counterpart Peter Chibwe Kapala, and other delegates, visited the project site where the announcement was made, according to NewsDay.
The EU sees the rehabilitation of Kariba Dam as a crucial step in addressing global challenges in a sustainable manner. Kariba Dam is jointly owned by Zimbabwe and Zambia, and both countries generate electricity through the Zambezi River Authority. Kirtman said:
The rehabilitation of this dam can potentially contribute to over 50% of the overall electricity production in Zimbabwe. The partnership between the EU, the Zambezi River Authority, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the Swedish International Development and Co-operation as well as Zambia and Zimbabwe is an investment not in concrete and steel, but in the future of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Zimbabwe has a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 1,050 megawatts located on Lake Kariba. In recent times, the region faced a crisis when water levels in the lake significantly decreased, leading to severe power shortages on both sides of the Zambezi River.
The EU emphasised the importance of rehabilitating Kariba Dam due to the potential catastrophic consequences. A collapse of the dam could result in the loss of over 500,000 lives, impact other dams, affect nearly three million people, and cause an estimated economic loss exceeding US$20 billion.
Kariba Dam was constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a joint project between Zimbabwe and Zambia then known as Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia. The construction of Kariba Dam was a collaborative effort led by the Central African Power Corporation, with assistance from various international organizations and engineering firms. The dam is considered one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the world, with a capacity of approximately 180 billion cubic meters of water.