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dam-l Zim to buy stake in C Bassa Dam/LS





>ZIM-CAHORA
>
>ZIMBABWE, SA INTERESTED IN BUYING A STAKE IN CAHORA BASSA DAM
>JOHANNESBURG May 22 Sapa
>
>       The Zimbabwean and Mozambican governments are soon to meet to
>negotiate the acquisition of a
>       stake in the Cahora Bassa hydro electricity power station by
>Zimbabwe, Ziana news agency said on
>       Friday.
>
>       The news agency said the negotiations had reached an advanced stage
>and an agreement was
>       expected to be reached soon.
>
>       Zimbabwe's transport and energy minister, Enos Chikowore said the
>negotiations could be
>       concluded as early as next month in Maputo - where he would meet his
>counterpart over the issue.
>
>       Zimbabwe is understood to be seeking up to a 30 percent stake in the
>Mozambican hydro electricity
>       power station.
>
>       It is still not clear how much the Mozambican government is prepared
>to offer.
>
>       "I am meeting the Mozambican minister of minerals and energy next
>month to discuss the issue of
>       Zimbabwe acquiring shares in the power station," Chikowore said
>adding that his government had
>       already made some headway in that direction.
>
>       The South African power utility Eskom is also understood to be
>interested in securing a substantial
>       share of the power plant.
>
>       Zimbabwe is seeking a stake in the power station to boost its power
>supply hard hit by a lower
>       internal power generating capacity.
>
>       It currently imports 40 percent of its power needs with 400
>megawatts coming from Cahora Bassa
>       through the Songo-Bindura-Dema 420 kilovolts interconnector.
>
>       Negotiations for the deal are being done through Mozambique's power
>utility, Electricite de
>       Mozambique and Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) which owns the
>power station.
>
>       Eighty-two percent of HCB is owned by the Portuguese government and
>the other 18 percent by
>       the Mozambican government.
>
>       The Cahora Bassa dam is one of the largest hydro-electric station in
>sub-Saharan Africa and
>       capable of supplying Zimbabwe with its entire electricity needs.
>
>       Sources told the news agency plans were underway for the
>construction of another dam on the
>       Zambezi river for hydro-electric power generation in the northern
>Tete province.
>
>       The sources said Zimbabwe had been invited by the Mozambican
>government to partner in the
>       construction of the dam - expected to have a capacity to generate
>over 2500 megawatts of power.
>
>                               [ index by subject - length | newswire root ]
>
>source: gopher://gopher.anc.org.za/00/anc/newsbrief/1998/news0523
>processed Sat 23 May 1998 15:30 SAST.
>

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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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