Maputo, Mozambique, 3 May – Repairs on the first of eight sluice gates of the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric facility in Mozambique’s Tete province, were finished a few days ago, a company official told Mozambican newspaper Notícias.

Moisés Machava, director of Engineering and Maintenance Services for the Cahora Bassa Dam (HCB), said that the repairs included replacing a number of parts that were in a state of significant disrepair, which affected the quality of electricity production.

The official said that as well as conclusion of that sluice gate, a further two would be repaired this year.

The gates on the HCB dam operate using equipment installed over 30 years ago and are currently a danger to the safety of the facility.

The project to repair the structural safety equipment on the dam began in August 2010 and has a budget of around 15 million euros. It is due to be concluded in 2013, when all eight sluice gates will be ready to operate for another 30 years. (macauhub)