Mozambique is analysing 21 technical and financial proposals for the construction of a power transmission line between Temane and Maputo, in southern Mozambique, a source from the ministry of mineral resources and energy said on Monday.
The 563-kilometre line is considered structural for the country, starting from the Temane Thermal Power Plant in Inhambane, southern Mozambique. It will have three substations in three provinces (Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo) until it reaches the country’s capital.
Of the 21 proposals submitted, nine compete for the Chibuto-Gaza section, the longest, and another 12 are for the construction of the Chibuto-Maputo section.
The project is part of the Government’s objective to boost industrialisation and ensure universal access to electricity by the end of 2030.
Financing agreements for the construction of the Temane-Maputo line, worth $530 million (€477 million), were signed at the end of August 2019, with work expected to begin this year and be ready by 2023.
The project is financed with a donation of $30 million from Norway, and debt to be contracted with the World Bank (52.7% share), Islamic Development Bank (20.3%), African Development Bank (5.3%), OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Fund for International Development (6.6%) and Development Bank of Southern Africa (9.4%).
It is estimated that a little less than 30% of people have access to the electricity grid in Mozambique, a country that, according to estimates by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), is expected to have 30 million inhabitants this year.
