The photo is sourced from primeprogressng.com
The capacity of power plants currently operating in Mozambique totals 2.63 GW, of which 2.19 GW come from HPPs and 370 megawatts (MW) from gas-fired TPPs, and the remaining 70 MW are represented by wind generators and biomass units. At the same time, Mozambique remains one of Africa’s energy-deficient countries. According to the World Bank, only 32% of the country’s population had access to electricity by the end of 2021, whereas in rural areas this figure was as low as 4%. The new project will increase the capacity of local power plants by more than 50% while providing access to electricity for 3 million of the country’s nearly 6.9 million households.
HPP construction is one of the most common ways to reduce energy shortages in sub-Saharan countries. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the installed capacity of Africa’s HPPs in the period from 2013 to 2022 grew by 10.2 GW, including 6.5 GW in Angola, Ethiopia and Zambia. The largest regional project was the launch of the 750 MW Kafue Gorge Lower HPP, which was completed in Zambia in 2023. The five-unit hydroelectric facility will generate 3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually, providing 15% of the country’s power needs.
In the period from 2015 to 2022, investments in the development of power industries in Africa reached $156 billion, of which $88 billion was spent on renewables, $67 billion on gas-fired and coal-fired TPPs, and another $1 billion on nuclear reactors. The latter include three power units of the Egypt-based El Dabaa NPP: construction of its first power unit began in July 2022, with the second and third reactors entering construction in November 2022 and May 2023, respectively.
