- An agreement to deliver Phase II and III of the Chimuara-Nacala power transmission project in Mozambique has been announced today by Gridworks and the Mozambican electricity utility, Electricidade de Moçambique (“EDM”).
The project will be invested in and developed by Gridworks, a subsidiary of British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor. Gridworks has been collaborating with EDM for 18 months on the project, which will strengthen and increase the reliability of the transmission infrastructure connecting central and northern regions of the country (between Chimuara, in Sofala province and Nampula and Nacala in Nampula province).
The project infrastructure includes a 400kV transmission line from Alto Molócuè-Namialo (272 km), a 220kV transmission line from Namialo – Nampula (98 km) and a 220kV transmission line from Namialo – Nacala-à-Velha (90 km), with two new substations at Namialo and Nacala-à-Velha and the expansion of the Nampula substation.
With only half of the population having access to electricity, the Chimuara-Nacala project is a priority for Mozambique, and Gridworks’ involvement reflects the Government’s desire to attract private sector financing for the development of its key infrastructure. The project is being built in three phases, with construction of Phase I by EDM already ongoing.
Today’s announcement also sits firmly within the remit of a new national energy transition strategy announced by President Filipe Nyusi at the COP28 summit in Dubai, in which he called for investment partners to support the country’s move to exploit its abundant renewable energy sources.
