Name of the Project
Batoka gorge hydroelectric scheme (BGHES).

Location
Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Project Owner/s
Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), which comprises the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation and the ministries of energy from both countries.

Project Description
The proposed 2 400 MW project involves the construction of a hydroelectric scheme on the Zambezi river, across the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The power station will have an installed capacity of 1 600 MW and includes a 181-m-high, roller-compacted concrete cavity arch dam, a radial-gated crest-type spillway and two underground power stations on the north and south banks of the river, each with four 200 MW vertical-shaft Francis turbine generators.

The project also includes transmission lines, access roads and project townships in Zambia and Zimbabwe and ancillary infrastructure such as quarries, spoils and batching areas.

The project is designed as a run-of-river scheme, with an estimated average energy generation of 8 700 GWh/y.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The cost of the project has been estimated at $4-billion; however, the actual cost will be known only after the feasibility has been completed.

Planned Start/End Date
The project will take at least seven years to complete.

Latest Developments
The ZRA is preparing to conduct disclosure meetings with communities in Zambia and Zimbabwe whose land or livelihoods could be affected by the construction of the proposed BGHES, a transboundary project located 47 km downstream of the Victoria Falls.

On August 13, ZRA announced that it would be undertaking disclosure meetings with all stakeholders in the coming few months and explained that the initial schedule for conducting the meetings in March and April had been impacted on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“At this stage, the exact date of environmental- and social-impact assessment (ESIA) finalisation is still uncertain,” ERM says, adding that alternative engagement approaches are being considered.

A draft ESIA report, which includes ‘livelihood restoration plans’, for communities that will be affected by the scheme, has been published and hard copies were delivered to traditional leaders of the host communities on March 3, 2020. Soft copy reports are also available on the ZRA’s website.

Environmental Resources Management of South Africa, has told Engineering News that no resettlement action plan has been developed, as only economic displacement will occur as a result of the project activities.

Based on the census and asset surveys conducted in 2019, the land acquisition required for construction of the Batoka South road and staff townships in Zambia and Zimbabwe will result in the “economic displacement” of about 467 households.

Access to communal grazing land, ecosystem services and access routes for 210 households on 489 ha will be affected by the Zambia staff township, while 35 households on 705 ha will be impacted on by the development of the Zimbabwe staff township.

Construction of the Batoka South access road will result in the loss of a total of 160 ha of agricultural fields, fencing, bush fences and protective wild trees in the 40 m road servitude and affect 222 households.

“The traditional authorities responsible for those areas will allocate alternative land for those affected by the construction of the Zambian and Zimbabwean staff townships and Batoka South access road,” ERM has reported.

Resettlement and/or livelihood restoration plans have not yet been developed for upstream water users, specifically tourism operators, as the filling of the BGHES reservoir is proposed for only 2027/28.

“These will only be undertaken at a later stage,” ERM explains, adding that similar plans will also be undertaken for downstream water users, as well as communities affected by transmission lines and other BGHES-associated infrastructure.

In Zimbabwe, the proposed scheme falls within the province of Matabeleland North and in the Hwange rural district, while in Zambia, the main area of direct impact falls under the Southern province, in the Kazungula district.

Besides the resettlement plans, a separate ESIA has been prepared to assess the environmental impacts of the dam wall and impoundment, as well as the access roads and transmission lines.

These three ESIAs recommend mitigation measures associated with the impacts on the environment, EMR says.

The ZRA says its goal is to ensure that the livelihoods of project-affected households are better than they were before resettlement or the loss of other social facilities.

“The costs of these mitigatory measures, as determined by the consultants, will become part of the project costs with implementation of the measures being mandatory,” it adds.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
ZRA project manager BGHES Ezekiel Kasaro, tel +260 211 238665 or email kasaro@zaraho.org.zm.