The city and province of Maputo since Thursday have had enough electricity to cover the current deficit of 150 megawatts, following the inauguration of Ressano Garcia Power Plant (CTRG), according to Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias.

Built by a consortium that includes state power company Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM), with 51 percent and South African petrochemicals group Sasol, with the remaining 49 percent, the project will mainly be fired by natural gas extracted in Pande and Temane in Inhambane province, and represents an investment of US$250 million.

The President of Mozambique noted the fact that the plant was fired by natural gas, “marking the beginning of a new era in the development of the energy sector.”

In turn, the president of EdM, Fernando Augusto de Sousa, said the 180 megawatts generated by the Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Plant, represent 23 percent of total energy consumed in the country and 42 percent in the southern region.

“In recent years the city and province of Maputo have had a deficit of around 150 megawatts, so with the launch of the plant the lack of power in the region has been fully overcome,” said the chairman of EdM.

Augusto de Sousa Fernando also said that the commissioning of the Ressano Garcia plant will eliminate power imports from South Africa, on which EdM spent around US$26 million per year. (macauhub/MZ)