Mozambican Dam of Cahora Bassa will invent activities

A intention to hire a specialized entity to carry out a socio-economic and geospatial inventory of existing activities in the concession area is a manifestation of interest launched by the company and consulted by Lusa.

HCB justifies the initiative with the growth in recent years of activities carried out by communities, economic operators and other entities in the area of albufeira, defending the need for updated, reliable and georeferenced information on the occupation and use of the territory.

The Cahora Bassa dam is located in the province of Tete, on the Zambeze River, and its albufeira, considered one of the largest in Africa, extends for about 270 kilometers long, occupying approximately 2,665 square kilometers at the maximum level of storage.

According to HCB, the inventory should allow the creation of an up-to-date and georeferenced database to support the integrated management of albufeira, territorial planning, risk assessment and conflicts of use, and coordination with communities and other stakeholders.

The work will include the inventory and characterisation of concession users, the survey of existing socio-economic activities, the identification of assigned occupations, infrastructure and securities, as well as a preliminary assessment of potential risks and conflicts related to the use of space.

The company also wants the survey to result in recommendations for the integrated management of the area and actions to raise awareness and involve the communities concerned.

“HCB has a concession area for the exploitation of the project, whose sustainable management is strategic for the conservation and proper use of water resources of the Cahora Bassa albufeira, essential for the generation of hydroelectric energy,” he says.

HCB operates the Cahora Bassa dam, Mozambique's main electricity-producing center and one of Africa's largest hydroelectric projects, supplying the national market and several southern African countries.

Lusa previously reported that the company plans to invest around EUR 1,200 million in the modernisation of energy production and transport infrastructure.

According to the 2025 Report and Accounts, HCB signed with the French Development Agency (AFD) a 100 million euro credit line to finance the rehabilitation and modernisation project of the Southern Central, part of the CAPEX Vital programme.

The global plan, which is expected to last ten years, involves investments in the rehabilitation of the main energy production and transport systems, including the hydroelectric power plant and Songo's converting substation. The rehabilitation of the first of the five generating groups is expected to start in 2028 at the rate of one per year.

HCB should also benefit from a European Union grant to finance initiatives related to water management, vocational training, digitisation, cybersecurity, strengthening energy transport lines and implementing gender policies.

The complex currently integrates the South Central, in operation, with installed capacity of 2,075 megawatts, and a designed North Central, with potential to add up to 1,200 megawatts of production capacity, in addition to Songo's converter substation and associated transport infrastructure. It also provides for a solar power station in the area of hydroelectric use.