9 June 2011
Maputo — The electricity transmission line from Tete to Maputo, known as the north-south backbone, is expected to be formally launched in August. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2014 and be completed by 2017.
The transmission line is a crucial component of the proposed hydroelectricity dams at Mpanda Nkua and Cahora Bassa North, and the coal power stations at Moatize and Benga, all of which are located in Tete province. This is because the lines currently transmitting power from the Cahora Bassa dam to South Africa and Zimbabwe have reached maximum capacity.
Agreement to push ahead with the transmission line was taken in Maputo on Wednesday at the Annual Consultation Meeting between the government and its cooperation partners in the energy sector.
During the meeting the cooperation partners reaffirmed their support for the government’s plans to expand access to energy, according to Thursday’s issue of the daily newspaper “Noticias”.
After the meeting Energy Minister Salvador Namburete told the press that “the final study will be delivered by the end of this month. Between July and August we hope to launch the project, solicit expressions of interest from those who want to participate, and announce the project’s final format. We will then move on to the development stage”.
“Once we have completed the financial package we will define the project schedule, which should be completed in three and a half years. We already have promises for funding from the World Bank, Norway, France, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, Electrobras, and Redes Energeticas Nacionais”, said Namburete.
The Mozambican electricity company, EDM, will have a 51 per cent stake in the company managing the project.
The first phase of the project will cost between 1.7 billion and 2 billion US dollars. The transmission line will have a capacity of about 3,000 megawatts of power.
Speaking on behalf of the cooperation partners during the meeting, Swedish Ambassador Torvald Akesson stressed that support for the energy sector was important for Mozambique’s efforts to increase production and fight poverty.
The transmission line from Tete to Maputo will have two high tension lines, the first with 800 kV of direct current and the second with 400 kV of alternating current. The lines will carry a maximum of 2650 MW and 1100 MW respectively. The line will traverse the provinces of Tete, Sofala, Gaza, Inhambane, Maputo and Manica, requiring about eight thousand pylons.
According to the World Bank, the line is expected to expand electrification in Mozambique from 13 per cent to 20 per cent of the population.
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