A view of the Batoka Gorge
Conrad Mwanawashe Business Reporter
A NEW state-of-the-art power station, a one-stop shop, immigration facilities, a bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia and new settlements set the stage for a sprawling habitat.
Inland Zimbabwe, a world class road network, a new town set on 500 hectares of land complete with shopping malls, schools, hospitals and clinics, not forgetting churches and play centres, marks new beginnings beckoning for a sleepy village of Victoria Falls.
The year is 2024 and the setting is Kasikiri Village. The same goes for Mukuni Village across the Zambezi River in Zambia. This is at least the vision guiding the Zambezi River Authority as it battles barriers to complete the life-changing 2 400MW Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme situated downstream the Victoria Falls by 2024.
The ZRA is a bi-national organisation established to exploit the full potential of the mighty river for the socio-economic development of the two countries. What could possibly stop Kasikiri Village from transformation when it will host probably Zimbabwe’s biggest single power generation asset?
Currently both villages are oblivious of the magnitude of the economic asset they both play host to. With open swathes, far spaced vegetation and vast tracts of uninhabited lands, Kasikiri borders the Zambezi River but the benefit of being close to the big river have yet to show.
The community relies on market gardening while some survive on earnings from children and relatives based in Victoria Falls town. The Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme is estimated to cost about $4 billion on completion expected in 2024. First generation is however, expected two years from now.
Already, Kasikiri community is excited that their village has been favoured with hosting the Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme as they have tapped into the ZRA vision that promises transformation.
“We are excited about this project. We know we will get employment and be able to feed our families. Currently we are struggling as we survive on market gardening. We also hope they will assist our schools and build hospitals,” said Lungile Mpofu one of the villagers.
The communal leaders from both countries have also given thumbs up to the project.
“We have now received local community clearances from the chiefs and their people from both sides. They have already done their cultural clearances. In terms of that the project is ready to go; we are not going to have any opposition from the locals. They are happy and they are supporting the project,” said ZRA chief executive officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa.
Mr Munodawafa was addressing the ZRA board members and media during a two-day tour of the Batoka HES last week. On a bigger scale the benefits from the Batoka HES include improved power supply, decline in electricity costs, creation and enhancement of downstream industries and creation of employment, among others.
Improved electricity supply does not apply only to Zimbabwe but to Zambia also both of which will share equally the 2 400MW to be generated at full capacity. Currently, Zesa’s generation capacity, is estimated at below 1000MW against estimated of around 2 000MW.
Imports are making up for the shortfall. This is expected to change starting from 2019 when first generation from Batoka is expected. It is estimated that electricity generation costs will decline once Batoka is on stream giving relatively cheap power to both countries.
Availability of electricity will therefore significantly improve. Industry, which has been suffocating due to intermittent power supplies, will find reason to run mills all the time as the supply of one of the significant enablers will become more reliable.
Modern economies are highly dependent on power as technology becomes the driving factor behind economic growth. It follows therefore that, guaranteeing power supply could increase investors rating for the country.
This could see Zimbabwe improving on the World Bank’s Doing Business report, Getting Electricity rating from 161 in 2016. This will also present an opportunity for new investment in the area.
It is estimated that 3 000 people will be employed during construction of the dam but more could be hired for the power station, bridge and road construction projects. Aerodromes and helipads have already been constructed.
Downstream industries will be created to feed the electricity project and this could lead to thousands more being employed while economic activity in the area would be enhanced. It is also expected that indigenous companies will be contracted for some of the jobs during construction.
There will also be construction of settlements on 500 hectares of land in the area and all this has been provided for. These developments will be duplicated in Zambia’s Mukuni Village.
“We have started and stopped, started and stopped, but this time we are running on track. Both Governments want the project to succeed. Given the past experiences of power shortages in the two Republics we are very anxious to see this project implemented,” said ZRA chairman and Secretary for Energy and Power Development Patson Mbiriri.
Outputs from studies on the Batoka HES show that the dam will be a roller compacted concrete arch gravity with a height of 181 metres. There will be two surface power houses, on each bank with an installed capacity of 1 200MW each while transmission lines from Batoka-Livingstone-Muzuma will be 170km long – 300kV for the Zambian side.
For the Zimbabwe side from Batoka – Hwange power will be evacuated through a 70km long 400kV line and another one from Batoka-Chakari will be 400km long-400kV. ZRA authorities allayed fears that construction of the Batoka HES could have a flooding effect on the Victoria Falls, one of the world’s eight wonders.
ZRA chief executive Mr Munodawafa said the Victoria Falls would not be affected in anyway because the Batoka HES will be a “runoff river scheme”. “This is not a fully fledged reservoir. It’s a runoff and we will be regulating as and when necessary,” said Mr Munodawafa.
He also allayed environmentalist arguments about the dearth of water rafting due to the construction of Batoka HES saying the height of the dam wall has been reduced to 181m from 300m mooted at the start of the project.
There were also fears of displacement of people for power evacuation but the ZRA chief said the power lines will be following existing tracks and therefore there are very minimal chances of displacements. But construction of the Batoka HES will not lead to any displacements as there are no people residing close to the construction area.