Mozambique: Maputo hosts Mphanda Nkuwa Project Bidders’ Conference

 Government of Mozambique, through the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), represented by the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project Implementation Office (GMNK), is holding a conference in Maputo on Tuesday, September 27, with potential pre-qualified Strategic Investors, within the scope of the tender process for the selection of the partner for the development of the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project and associated energy transport infrastructure.

The conference will constitute a technical, interactive session for clarification of project and tender issues, and a stage for reviewing and updating technical, environmental, economic, financial and market studies, including issues of legislation, associated regulations and the legal and institutional structures in the sector.

During the conference, the project’s partner international financial institutions, such as the World Bank (WB) group and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will talk about their role in the project, address issues of financing and guarantees for the venture. In the two days following two days the conference, the competitors will visit the sites in Tete province where the project will be implemented.

This program is included in the Specifications of the Strategic Partner selection tender and will allow investors to find out about the natural conditions of the project implementation site, data fundamental in the preparation of technical, economic and financial proposals in response to the tender process.

Called the Mphanda Nkuwa Project Bidders’ Conference, the event will bring together MIREME, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Land and Environment (MTA), the Agency for the Promotion of Investment and Exports (APIEX), the GMNK, and the project’s partner international financial institutions such as the World Bank, AfDB and potential pre-qualified project investors.

With an estimated cost of US$4.5 billion, the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project includes the development of a run-of-river dam 61 kilometres downstream from Cahora Bassa on the Zambezi River in Tete province. 

A hydroelectric power plant with an installed power production capacity of up to 1,500 megawatts and a 1,300 kilometre energy transmission line from Tete to Maputo are envisaged.

The project is being implemented in strict compliance with internationally accepted global standards and tools for social, environmental and governance (Environmental Social and Governance – ESG) compliance for mitigating negative impacts and maximising positive aspects, evaluation and certification of the project, and which prioritise the creation of opportunities for local communities, minimise and mitigate the adverse impact on the biodiversity heritage.

The Mphanda Nkuwa project will be a lower-cost power generation option which will position Mozambique as a regional energy hub, and contribute to universal access, industrialization, job creation and technical training while generating tax and concession fee revenue. 

The project is fundamental for the energy transition and decarbonisation of the Southern region of the African Continent.