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Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase 2, Lesotho to South Africa

6th December 2013

By: Creamer Media Reporter

  

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Name and Location
Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase 2, Lesotho to South Africa.

Client
The governments of South Africa and Lesotho.

Project Description
Phase 1 of the LHWP was officially completed in 2004.

Phase 2 of the LHWP will include the construction of a new 165-million-cubic-metre dam, the Polihali, in Lesotho; a transfer tunnel from the Polihali dam to the Muela hydropower complex; expansions to the existing Muela hydropower complex; and advancing the infrastructure and environmental and social development programmes in Lesotho.

The project will feature a water delivery system to augment the delivery of water to South Africa.

The system will consist of the Polihali dam, on the Senqu river, and a 38 km water conveyance tunnel, which will connect the Polihali dam with the Katse dam. Water will flow by gravity to the Katse dam. Further, it will entail the development of key infrastructure, such as access roads to the project sites and camps, as well as power transmission lines and administration centres, including social and environmental projects and programmes.

This phase will also include the 101-m-high Kabong pumped-storage scheme and associated transmission lines.

The Polihali dam will include a 165-m-high concrete-faced rockfill dam and a 49.5 m saddle dam. Water from the dam will flow through a series of tunnels and through the Ash river, in the Free State, into the Vaal system, in South Africa. The dam is a strategic intervention to ensure the water availability of Gauteng and the rest of the Vaal river water supply, in the most effective manner.

The construction of the dam and other infrastructure will take place in conjunction with water conservation measures for the Vaal, improving water quality and curbing illegal use. The project will have a low energy requirement, as water will be transferred using gravity to South Africa without pumping.

Value
The water aspect of the project is likely to cost about R12-billion.

Duration
Phase 2 water delivery is expected to come on line by December 2020.

Latest Developments
The Lesotho Highlands Water Commission has invited applications from suitably qualified specialists to play an oversight role during the implementation of Phase 2 of the LHWP.

Authorities have opted to establish an independent oversight committee (IOC) to ensure the credibility and integrity of the binational project while maintaining world-class development standards.

The bid documents call for applications from experienced professionals and specialists in the areas of large-scale infrastructure projects, design, project management, procurement and contracting, financial control, environmental and socioeconomic management, public health and legal monitoring and evaluation.

The responsibilities of the IOC will include monitoring the implementation of the project and its milestones, based on its master project plan, while providing independent assessment and comment on the performance of the organisation within the LWHP.

The committee will also provide “innovative” services to maximise the socioeconomic and environmental benefits during and after the construction of all components of the project, as well as being responsible for reviewing and assessing the measure put in place throughout the project to ensure the safety and integrity of the executed works.

The multidisciplinary IOC will conduct four ad hoc visits a year to the project areas in Lesotho and will be committed to the project for no less than five years.

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
C4/Seed joint venture (feasibility study), the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority [TCTA] (debt management and funding of the water-transfer portion of the project, as well as the operation and maintenance of the Delivery Tunnel North), Mops Civil (access road) and BKS (construction of measuring weir).

Contact Details for Project Information
Lesotho Highlands Water Commission, Leon Tromp, tel +266 5221 4035 or email leon@lhwc.org.ls.
TCTA project manager David Keyser, tel +27 12 683 1200, fax +27 12 683 1300 or email dkeyser@tcta.co.za.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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