Songo, Mozambique, 10 Mar – Maintenance work on the sub-station of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Dam (HCB) should start this year, with the respective public tenders being launched soon, said HCB chairman, Paulo Muxanga.

The HCB board has been carrying out improvement work, having recently restored and modernized the system of the hydroelectric station with the automation of equipment.

“There are two big projects for this year: the repair of the spillways and the maintenance of the sub-station. The terms of reference have already been drawn up and we are now at the last stage of preparation for tenders,” said Paulo Muxanga.

In statements made to the newspaper, Notícias in Songho, Paulo Muxanga did not refer to costs, saying that although the company had the capacity to finance the project, exact amounts would only be known after the tenders.

However, the newspaper quotes other sources as saying the costs associated with the two projects should be around 80 million Euros, 20 million of which are allocated in HCB’s current budget.

HCB provides the main electricity supply for various southern African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana as well as Mozambique. (macauhub)