Name of the Project
Batoka Gorge hydroelectric scheme (BGHES).

Location
On the Zambezi river, 47 km downstream of the Victoria Falls, on the Zambia and Zimbabwe borders.

Project Owner/s
Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), which comprises the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation and the ministries of energy from both countries.

Project Description
The proposed 2 400 MW project involves the construction of a hydroelectric scheme on the Zambezi river, across the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The project comprises a 175-m-high dam wall and two 1 200 MW power plants on either side of the river. The project also includes transmission lines, access roads and project townships in Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as ancillary infrastructure such as quarries, spoils and batching areas.

The project is designed as a run-of-river scheme with an estimated average energy generation of 8 700 GWh/y.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create 8 000 construction jobs and 1 500 operational jobs.

Capital Expenditure
The cost of the project has been estimated at $4-billion; however, the actual cost will be known only after the feasibility has been completed.

Planned Start/End Date
The project could begin producing electricity from the second half of 2028.

Latest Developments
Preconstruction work on the Batoka Gorge project has been suspended for several months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and funding is also still being secured, ZRA spokesman Fitzgerald Muchindu has said.

Work on the 2 400 MW facility had been scheduled to start in 2020.

Construction activities are now currently projected to start towards the end of 2022.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Power Construction Corporation of China, and General Electric of the US (project development) and ERM (environmental consultants).

Contact Details for Project Information
ZRA, tel +260 211 226950 or email info@zambezira.org.