Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy said on Monday that the future Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric dam would be a key project for Mozambique’s energy transition, noting that the government was seeking a strategic partner for the infrastructure.
Max Tonela was speaking during the launch in Maputo of the international tender for the selection of the strategic partner for the Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric project, which will be the largest dam to be built in the country since independence in 1975.
“Mphanda Nkuwa will also be a key element in the energy transition process of Mozambique and the region, through the provision of clean energy,” Tonela said.
The infrastructure, he continued, will also be an important climate change mitigation solution aimed at achieving carbon neutrality, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
It will play a central role in universal access to energy, industrialisation and diversification of the national energy matrix.
The project will ensure security of supply of quality energy at the lowest cost and reaffirm Mozambique’s position as a regional energy hub, he added.
Referring to the international tender for selecting the strategic partner for the Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric project, he said that the process reflected the Government’s will to identify a strong allied partner for the construction of the project.
“We are fully committed to carrying out an open and transparent process, which allows for the selection of investors through criteria based on technical capacity, financial robustness and proven experience in the development of similar projects,” Tonela said.
The partner will work with Eletricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and Hidroelétrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), as representatives of the public sector.
The World Bank representative in Mozambique, Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, said on the occasion that Mphanda Nkuwa will be an emblematic venture, reinforcing the African country’s position as a producer of clean energy.
“The Mphanda Nkuwa flagship project has a transformative potential to bring renewable energy to the country and region on a large scale,” Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough.
The Electricity Act under preparation will promote transparency in private sector participation in energy development in Mozambique, increasing renewable energy capacity and acceleration of the Energy for All goal.
“We know that the private sector plays a central role for the development of the energy sector, as seen in countries with high generation capacity and access rates,” said the World Bank representative in Mozambique.
Mphanda Nkuwa is estimated at US$4 billion (3.5 billion euros).
Planned several years ago, the idea of Mphanda Nkuwa was relaunched in 2018 by Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, and could be Mozambique’s largest dam after Cahora Bassa, located 60 kilometres downstream of this, also on the Zambezi River, in central interior Mozambique, about 1,500 kilometres northwest of Maputo.
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