- The African Development Bank has opened a tender inviting consulting firms to express interest in providing consultancy services for a floating solar project at the Kariba Dam, a hydroelectric power plant in Zambia.
- The dam is located at the Lake Kariba reservoir on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border.
The chosen consultant will be tasked with feasibility studies for the Kariba site, including the financial and technical viability of the project, technical specifications for grid integration and the development of financing and business models to implement the floating solar array on Lake Kariba.
Related news: Drought leaves Kariba Dam only 13% full affecting hydropower production, people and wildlife
The Kariba Dam is maintained by the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a bilateral organization owned by Zambia and Zimbabwe. According to the tender documents, the consultant will also assess the socioeconomic aspects of the proposed floating solar PV project “to guide ZRA and other local stakeholders in its decision-making process.”
Expressions of interest must be submitted by post no later than June 15.
The tender documents say that the floating solar project will help to develop the full hydropower potential of the Kariba Dam complex, while increasing solar capacity and improving the use of the resulting hydro/solar system.
Link to the tender documents HERE
Author: Patrick Jowett
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
