The Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project Implementation Office (GMNK) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the British High Commission to secure technical assistance for the development of the Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project in Mozambique. The support is valued at approximately US$500,000 (€424,000).
The agreement was signed in December during a visit by the UK’s Trade Envoy, MP Calvin Bailey. Funding is provided by the UK Government and will be implemented by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI).
Under the arrangement, TBI will deliver specialist technical assistance to GMNK over a six-month period. The support is intended to strengthen the institutional and technical capacity of the project implementation office as the project progresses.
Mphanda Nkuwa is a key component of Mozambique’s long-term energy strategy, aimed at increasing electricity generation and diversifying the country’s energy mix. The project involves the construction of a 1500MW hydropower plant on the Zambezi River, with operations expected to begin in 2031.
The development also includes a high-voltage transmission line estimated at 1350 to 1400km, linking Tete Province in central Mozambique to Maputo in the south to enable power evacuation.
In July, the Mozambican government authorised state-owned utilities Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) to each acquire up to 15% of the project’s equity. The total investment is estimated at approximately €4.5 billion.
