Zim commences construction of 935km power line

via Zim commences construction of 935km power line – NewsDay Zimbabwe November 5, 2015

The country has started working on the construction of a 935km power transmission line linking Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe which is expected to improve connectivity and electricity trading in Southern Africa.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

In a notice, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) said it had started conducting stakeholder consultations for the environmental and social impact assessment.

It proposed construction of approximately 220 kilometres of 400Kv triple bison line from Triangle substation to Beitbridge.

The power distributor said all affected persons and interested people were invited to register their submissions or recommendations with regard to the implementation of the proposed project.

“Stakeholder meetings will be held with the affected communities, interested people, local leaders, relevant government departments and private landowners.” ZETDC said.

The project, commonly referred to as the Mozambique-Zimbabwe-South Africa (MoZiSa) Transmission Project, is a venture involving the three countries linked to the regional grid.

It comprises the development, construction and operation of a 400kV or 500kV high-voltage transmission system, over a distance of about 935km, including transmission lines and associated substations through the involved countries, with a view to facilitate the strengthening of the existing north–south transmission interconnection corridor in Southern Africa.

The project was sponsored by the member countries’ national power utilities, including Electricidade de Moçambique, Zesa and Eskom of South Africa.

The MoZiSa transmission project has the capacity to improve access to power through the regional grid, allowing the smooth transfer of electricity between and among Sadc member states.

Southern Africa considers the development of transmission lines as critical to addressing the energy deficit situation in the region, which dates back to 2007 when Sadc ran out of excess electricity generation capacity and many regional transmission lines were becoming congested.

As such, the MoZiSa interconnector will complement other regional transmission lines and facilitate power transfers within the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) network.

Furthermore, it will increase stability in the power pool through additional interconnection between the strong network in the south and the weak network in the north of the region, which has been a source of SAPP grid instability.

As part of the MoZiSa project, there will be various separate developments to complement the project to ensure that the MoZiSa interconnector is a success.

In May, Sadc’s Project Preparation and Development Facility (PPDF) approved its first allocation of preparation funding to the tune of $3,5 million towards the development of the multi-country Regional Interconnector Transmission Line Project.

PPDF is managed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

The funds will be used for the appointment of a transaction advisor to assist SAPP to execute the development phase of the project.