A 2400MW Batoka hydropower plant set to be developed in the Zambezi river, between Zambia and Zimbabwe will be retendered, an official from the Zambezi River Authority has said.
And potential bidders are expected to submit bids by April 2025. Qualified bidders will be selected within 5 months after submission.
Construction of the Batoka hydropower plant was initially set for 2020 but it has faced major challenges leading to cancellation of a contract it had previously entered.
In June, Zambian Energy Minister Peter Kapala said the his country was exiting the 2019 contract with GE and Power China because proper procurement methods were not followed.
The proposed Batoka Hydro-electric Scheme (HES) is located on the Zambezi River approximately 54 km downstream of the world famous Victoria Falls. The project site is located across the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe at Grid Reference 055-178 (scale 1:50000).
The project was conceived in 1972 out of a study instituted by the predecessor of Zambezi River Authority, (Central African Power Corporation).
The aim of the Study was to identify possible power sources which the intergovernmental institution could develop to meet the power demands of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It is proposed to include a 181 meter high, and 720 meter long roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity arch dam with a radial-gated spillway.
Four intakes in the reservoir will take water through four tunnels (each tunnel would be approximately one kilometer in length) to two surface power plants downstream of the
dam on either side of the river bank.
The power stations would have an installed capacity of 1,200 MW each for a total installed capacity of 2,400 MW.
At the full supply level of 762 mASL, the reservoir is estimated to store 1.39 billion cubic meters of water and have a surface area of 23 square kilometers.
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