Page 12 - AfrElec Week 07 2023

AfrElec HYDROPOWER AfrElec

High rainfall boosts electricity output

at Kariba South Hydro Plant

ZIMBABWE IMPROVED inflows into a major dam in Zim- Kariba Dam,
babwe has resulted in a local hydro-electric plant Zimbabwe
increasing power output by 40% to 350MW.
State-owned Chronicle reported on Thursday
(February 9) that as the wet season progresses,
the water level in Lake Kariba had risen to 5.3bn
cubic metres as of Monday (February 6). The
dam is on the Zambezi River which forms part
of the country’s western border with Zambia.
The daily cited an update by the Zambezi
River Authority (ZRA), which manages the lake
on behalf of Zimbabwe and Zambia, saying the
water level was at 476.7 metres on Monday, from
476.53 metres at the end of January.
“Indications are that the water at the lake is dam resulting in ZRA ordering Zimbabwe, on
still rising at a rate of about two centimetres per November 25, to stop generating electricity at its
day,” said ZRA hydrologist, Pherry Mwiinga. plant saying the country had used up its annual
“This development has seen the reservoir quota. However, days later ZRA allowed Zim-
storage increasing to about 5.3bn cubic metres. babwe to produce a maximum of 300MW at
In terms of the inflows, the mainstream Zambezi its facility, a far cry from its installed capacity of
is also doing very well with the inflows expected 1,050MW.
to rise steadily into March 2023. The country, like Zambia and South Africa,
“We expect these conditions to continue has been experiencing between 10 and 18 hours
improving especially when indications are that of darkness daily due to outages resulting from
rainfall activities are positive.” low hydro capacity, aged coal-fired plants and
A drought in 2022 depleted inflows into the high demand.™

Uganda faces $4mn fine over

botched hydro loan deal

UGANDA THE government of Uganda is facing at least “The government did not have enough money,
$4mn in penalties following the cancellation of so it decided to look for another funding model,
a loan agreement with KfW Development Bank which process is ongoing now.”
and the Africa Development Fund, the Daily He also confirmed in the interview that the
Monitor reports.. project has not in fact been cancelled but rather
The $96.3mn loan was to be taken out by only delayed as Kampala seeks an alternative
the Uganda Electricity Generation Company source of friendly financing, adding that no dis-
(UEGCL) for the construction of the Muzizi bursement had been made.
Hydropower Dam. “This is a government programme. It will
The planned power plant is to be developed only depend on how quickly the government can
on a small river in western Uganda that flows secure the funding. That project has never been
into Lake Albert, which straddles the country’s terminated,” Kusasira told the Daily Monitor.
border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We don’t have any excuse not to go ahead
UEGCL spokesperson Enock Kusasira con- and build the Muzizi Hydropower Dam. The
firmed the matter in an interview with the Daily people in the region badly need electricity.”
Monitor, saying that after a review of the loan When the loan was announced in 2016, the
facility, the government decided that the terms government estimated the Muzizi project would
would stretch its financial commitments. increase power generation capacity in Uganda by
“It is not that the terms for the loan were about 5%, with the electricity generated enough
unfavourable,” Kusasira told the publication. to power 1mn homes.™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 07 15•February•2023