Construction of the US$4.5 billion Batoka Gorge Hydropower Project (BGHES) in southern Africa is about to begin. The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) disclosed the report and stated that the ongoing environmental and social impact assessment will be completed, paving the way for the implementation of the project.

A consortium of Chinese and American companies has won a bid to build a 2,400 MW hydropower station, which uses a model of construction, operation and transfer of funds. Under the management of the Zambezi River Authority, Zimbabwe and Zambia will equally share the power generated by the power plant.

The Batoka Gorge hydroelectric power facility will include a 720-meter-long, 181-meter-high RCC gravity arch dam, and two 1,200-megawatt ground-based power stations on the banks of the Zambezi River, each with 6 200-meter power stations. Megawatt hydroelectric turbines.

Indal

The catchment area of the reservoir will be 508,000 km², and four water intakes will be constructed to transport water to two power plants through a 4 km long tunnel. A wave-shaped spillway with 12 radial gates will be constructed to ensure a controlled release of flow from the reservoir. The spillway is 13m high and 14m high, with a design displacement of 20,000m³/s.

After the cross-border hydropower project is completed, it is expected to generate 10,215 GWh of electricity each year, which will be shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe through four proposed overhead transmission lines.Editor/Huang Lijun