Relevant developments on the new hydropower plants in Angola and Mozambique

Lauca Hydropower Plant: the largest of its kind in Angola

On May 12th, the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, inaugurated the Laúca Hydropower plant. With an installed capacity of 2,070 MW, the project will benefit the national electricity supply system, namely in the provinces of Malanje and Kwanza Norte.

Located in the Malanje province, the Laúca project is the biggest hydropower plant in Angola and one of the biggest in Africa. Developed by the Government of Angola, through the Ministry of Energy and Water (MINEA), represented by GAMEK and built by OEC Angola.

The structure, of large dimensions, include:

Hydropower of 1,070 m long and 156 m high, forming a reservoir with an area of 188 km2;
A 75 m high water intake formed by 6 units, which give access to 6 shafts of 60 m and access to the penstocks that total 12 km of tunnels;
Main Plant 100% underground, which includes 6 powerful francis generating units, with a capacity of 334 MW each.

With the conclusion of the works and in full operation, Laúca currently supplies 40% of Angola's energy demand, with a total annual production capacity of 9,000 GWh.

This hydropower plant will make a significant contribution to changing the Angolan energy matrix, through a clean and sustainable source of energy, showing the government's commitment to preserve the environment and the country's natural resources.

Source: Ver Angola & Radar Kianda

Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Project in Mozambique awarded to consortium led by Electricidade de França

At the end of the month, the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), through the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Plant Project Implementation Office (GMNK) announces the consortium led by Électricité de France (EDF), which includes ALER’s member, Total Energies, Sumitomo Corporation and Kansai, as the Preferred Bidder in the tender for selecting the Strategic Partner for Mphanda Nkuwa Project development.

The Qualification process for the selecting the strategic partner that will join EDM, ALER’s member, and HCB started in June 2022.

The proposals should contain, amongst others, information on technical capacity, financial robustness and international experience, development of hydropower projects, development plan and financing, taking into account the investment required and a guarantee of USD 10 million from each bidder.

The hydropower plant will have an installed power production capacity of 1,500 megawatts. After notification of the preferred bidder, the negotiation of the agreement of the project implementation begins, observing the assumptions in the tender specifications, a condition to become a Strategic Partner of the Project.

For the present phase, in addition to the preferred bidder, the consortium led by ETC Holdings, which includes ZESCO Limited, CECOT (a subsidiary of Mota-Engil) and PetroSA (a subsidiary of the Central Energy Fund, South Africa), has been appointed the reserve bidder.

Source: Club of Mozambique