The Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Project, meant to solve perennial electricity shortages in Zimbabwe and Zambia, may not proceed due to significant hurdles, an official has revealed.
The multi-billion-dollar power plant, planned since 1972, is expected to generate 2,400 MW to alleviate power shortages.
Despite renewed efforts in the past decade, ZESA Holdings executive chairperson Sydney Gata said that the project is fraught with risks.
Gata, who was speaking during the ongoing Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit in Victoria Falls, said (via <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200035198/no-end-in-sight-to-zims-power-woesas-mega-project-may-never-take-off">NewsDay</a>):
<blockquote>
The other thing that I would like to mention, especially in respect of Batoka, is that we always need to do more exhaustive feasibility studies.
The project has not seen the light of day since 42 years ago. One of the reasons is that there has not been an exhaustive review of markets and also hydrology.
The project that we have today, in our experience, will not work. There is also a question of enforcement risk.
Enforcement risk is my translation of the experience we had in the reconstitution of CAPCO (Central African Power Corporation) and the formation of ZRA (Zambezi River Authority). That process was not clean.
</blockquote>
Due to low water levels at Kariba Dam, power generation at both Kariba North and Kariba South Power Stations has been severely impacted, resulting in up to 20 hours of load shedding per day in both Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Kariba South Power Station, operated by ZESA, has a generation capacity of 1,050 MW but is currently producing only 124 MW. Said Gata:
<blockquote>
… decisions were being made at a political level without regard to the position of technocrats”.
I said that not all the political leadership is aware of this. We tried very hard to advocate for further extensive studies.
Certain hydrological models and models of investment can overcome this ugly picture. Batoka, as it stands now, is a victim of load factor risk.
It is also a victim of load profile risk, but you can mitigate both. If you do further feasibility studies, there are other options. In fact, some of them we knew about in 1984.
I am surprised that they have not been taken into account. Batoka also needs a market study that is honest and relevant.
</blockquote>
In 2021, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) announced that the consortium chosen to build the project was having difficulty securing funding.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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The Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Project is a big power plant that is supposed to give electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambia. But, it might not happen because of many problems. The project has been planned since 1972 but hasn't started yet. The water levels at Kariba Dam are low, causing electricity shortages in both countries. The people in charge say that more studies are needed to make sure the project will work. The project needs money to start, but it is hard to find. This means that the project may never happen, and people will continue to have electricity problems.

2,400 MW Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Project May Never Take Off

The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) says it is engaging key stakeholders to finalise the packaging of the proposed Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme which is expected to generate 2 400 megawatts for Zimbabwe and Zambia when completed.
The 2 400MW will be shared equally by the two neighbouring countries.
ZRA is set to resume tendering for prospective developers of the project next year. The project was previously awarded to General Electric and Power Construction Corp of China.
As reported by <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/business/article/200025748/zra-repackages-batoka-gorge-project">NewsDay</a>, work on the project was initially scheduled to begin in 2020 but encountered several hurdles, chief among them the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulties in securing funding.
Speaking to NewsDay, ZRA chief executive officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa:
Construction of the Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric scheme is yet to commence. The preparatory activities, however, have advanced and are now substantially completed.
<blockquote>
The authority is currently engaging key stakeholders to finalise the packaging of the project to pave the way for competitive tendering which will result in the engagement of a potential developer, which is scheduled for 2025. This follows the disengagement with the initially appointed project developer.
In terms of studies, the engineering feasibility studies were completed in 2019. Some key updates are now being undertaken on selected sections due to the time that has elapsed since the completion of the studies.
The environmental and social impact assessment studies were also completed and approved in 2022 by the environmental management regulators in both countries.
</blockquote>
He said the project will also entail the development of additional water storage infrastructure as one of the measures to mitigate against climate change. Said Munodawafa:
<blockquote>
The development of additional water storage infrastructure is one of the key measures to mitigate climate change. The construction of additional upstream reservoirs is key in terms of flood management and indeed, reservoir level regulation at Kariba Dam.
The planned reservoir operating rules entail maximising hydropower production at the upstream schemes during the wet months while banking the water in the big Kariba reservoir and peaking at the Kariba hydropower scheme during the dry months when the Zambezi River flows reduce significantly.
Such a conjunctive operation mechanism is a climate resilience measure since it ensures that the same water cascading from the upstream will be used to generate power at the downstream power plants.
</blockquote>
The Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme project includes the construction of the dam wall for US$1,4 billion, a power station at US$1,3 billion and other aspects giving a total of US$4,5 billion.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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