Existing and potential hydropower projects on the Zambezi River
Proposed Dams and Hydropower Projects Water has many critical roles in the realization of socio-economic development in southern Africa. One such role is to provide hydropower to help the region to meet its ever-growing demand for energy. SADC Member States, through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), have thus planned to commission a number of hydropower projects in the Zambezi River Basin. The Basin is considered to have enormous capacity to produce sufficient power for the region if fully harnessed. SAPP estimates that the Zambezi River has the potential to produce more than 20 000 Megawatts (MW) of electricity (Tauya 2006). However, only 23% of this potential is being harnessed, largely from two main sites: the Kariba Dam between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique (SARDC 2009c). To fully exploit its potential, various projects have been identified for commissioning in the Zambezi Basin.
Year: 2013
From collection: Zambezi River Basin - Atlas of the changing Environment
Cartographer: This