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Itezhi-Tezhi Power Project
The proposed project would be in the Itezhi
Tezhi District in the Southern Province of
Zambia. A surface power plant will be built
adjacent to the existing Itezhi Tezhi Dam.
It will utilize the existing reservoir. In order
to evacuate the power generated, a 300km
220/330kV T-line will be installed from Itezhi
Tezhi through a substation at Mumbwa, onto
a substation at Lusaka West. Once completed,
the power station would generate about 120
MW of electricity (SARDC 2009b).
Kafue Gorge Dam Lower Project
The new Kafue Gorge Lower hydroelectric station,
south of the Zambian capital Lusaka, is expected
to have a capacity of 660 MW, becoming the
second-largest generating facility in Zambia.
It would be located in the Kafue Gorge, about
65 km upstream from the confluence of the
Kafue River with the Zambezi River.
Kariba North and South Bank Extension
Zambia and Zimbabwe plan to extend the
existing plants at the Kariba Dam. Extension
of the Kariba North Bank power station,
located more than 130 km south of Lusaka is
expected to produce about 720 MW when
fully operational.
Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Dam
The Mphanda Nkuwa power plant has capacity
to add about 1 500 MW of new electricity on
the regional power grid. The proposed dam is
70 km downstream of the Cahora Bassa Dam
in Mozambique.
Proposed Dams for Irrigation or
Domestic Use
With regard to the construction of dams for
irrigation or domestic consumption, one of the
projects identified for commissioning over the
next few years is the Matabeleland-Zambezi
Water Supply project in Zimbabwe.
The Matabeleland-Zambezi Water Project (MZWP)
is an ambitious proposal for the arid Matebeleland
North province of Zimbabwe. The project seeks to
address the perennial water shortages affecting
Zimbabwe’s second city Bulawayo, by bringing
water from the Zambezi River to the city. The
proposed project consists of three phases:
• Phase One: Gwayi-Shangani Dam
• Phase Two: Gwayi-Shangani Dam to
Bulawayo Pipeline
• Phase Three: Gwayi-Shangani Dam to
Zambezi River Pipeline
Another initiative is the Zambezi Integrated
Agro-Commercial Development Project which is
in two phases. The first phase involves extracting
water from the Zambezi into a 20 000 hectares
greenfield farming area about 50 000 kilometres
from Kazungula. The second phase supports
the Pandamatenga Agricultural Infrastructure
Development Project in Botswana which
involves taking water from the Zambezi River
to Pandamatenga area to irrigate the farms. The
specific objective of the project whose timeframe
is 2008 to 2012 is to develop appropriate water
control drainage system and access road network
in Pandamatenga (AfDB 2008).
Table 5.2. Future Hydropower Projects in the Zambezi River Basin
Source: World Bank 2010
Project
Tedzani 1& 2
Kariba North
Kafue Gorge Upper
Kapichira II
Kariba North
HCB North Bank
Itezhi Tezhi
Kariba South
Songwe I, II & III
Batoka Gorge South
Batoka Gorge North
Kafue Gorge Lower
Mphanda Nkuwa
Lower Fufu
Kholombidzo
Rumakali
Base case
Alternative case
Status
refurbishment
refurbishment
refurbishment
extension
extension
extension
extension
extension
new project
new project
new project
new project
new project
new project
new project
new project
Utility
ESCOM
ZESCO
ZESCO
ESCOM
ZESCO
HCB
ZESCO
ZESA
ESCOM
ZESA
ZESCO
ZESCO
EdM
ESCOM
ESCOM
TANESCO
River
Shire
Zambezi
Kafue
Shire
Zambezi
Zambezi
Kafue
Zambezi
Songwe
Zambezi
Zambezi
Zambezi
Zambezi
S. Ruhuru
Shire
Rumakali
Country
Malawi
Zambia
Zambia
Malawi
Zambia
Mozambique
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Malawi, Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Zambia
Mozambique
Malawi
Malawi
Tanzania
Type
Pondage
Reservoir
Pondage
Pondage
Reservoir
Reservoir
Reservoir
Reservoir
Reservoirs
Pondage
Pondage
Pondage
Pondage
Run-of-River
Pondage
Reservoir
Capacity
(MW)
40
120
150
64
360
n/a
120
300
340
800
800
750
1 300
n/a
n/a
222
Capacity
(MW)
40
120
150
64
360
850
120
300
340
800
800
750
2 000
100
240
256
Operating
year
2008
2008-09
2009
2010
2010
n/a
2013
2014
2014-16
2017
2017
2017
2020
n/a
n/a
2022
Operating
year
2008
2008
2009
2010
2012
2012
2013
2014
2024
2023-24
2023-24
2017-22
2024
2024
2025
n/a