Maputo — The Mozambican government on Tuesday approved the Integrated Master Plan for Electricity Infrastructures for the period 2018-2043, an ambitious document aimed at an exponential increase in the country's capacity to generate, consume and export electricity over the next quarter of a century.
Budgeted at 34 billion US dollars, the objective of the plan is to ensure a diversification of energy sources, including hydropower, natural gas and coal.
18 billion dollars will be invested in energy generation, nine billion in transmission and the rest in distribution.
The document envisages a rise in installed generation capacity from the current 2,638 megawatts to 17,720 megawatts. Mozambique's own electricity requirements are expected o be around 8,000 megawatts, ten times more than current levels (excluding the power used by the MOZAL aluminium smelter on the outskirts of Maputo).
Electricity exports to other members of SADC (Southern African Development Community) are expected to rise from the current level of 1,500 to 7,000 megawatts.
Speaking to reporters after the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), the government spokesperson, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Ana Comoana said the projected electricity transmission line from the Zambezi Valley to Maputo "will be determinant for the viability of the production plan".
The Council of Ministers also approved the National Electrification Strategy for 2018-2030, which is intended to ensure universal access to electricity by the cut-off date. Currently about 28 per cent of the Mozambican population has access to electricity. This is expected to rise to 38 per cent by 2020 and to 100 per cent in 2030.
