Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), Mozambique’s main hydropower producer, has awarded a major contract to Austrian technology company ANDRITZ for the rehabilitation of the Cahora Bassa hydropower plant.
The project, valued in the mid three-digit million-euro range, was recorded in ANDRITZ’s order intake for the fourth quarter of 2024. Located on the Zambezi River, the 2075MW facility is the largest hydropower plant in Mozambique and among the largest in Africa. It supplies more than half of Mozambique’s electricity and exports power to neighboring countries.
The rehabilitation, part of HCB’s REABSUL II program, aims to improve the plant’s efficiency, reliability, availability, and maintainability. The upgrade will increase the capacity of each turbine by over 4%, bringing output to 433MW per unit.
ANDRITZ will deliver five new 480 MVA generators, five new Francis turbine runners, control and protection systems, and hydromechanical equipment. The contract covers design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning.
Work will be carried out in phases. The first three years will focus on designing and producing the equipment and preparing the site. Each generating unit will then be replaced individually to maintain continuous power generation. The project will require coordination with the ongoing rehabilitation of the nearby Songo Converter Substation.
“ANDRITZ is proud to contribute to this key project for the region and is committed to supporting the hydropower market in Mozambique to ensure renewable energy supply for decades to come,” the company said in a statement.
