Kariba Dam rehabilitation project now 67 percent complete

By Xinhua

HARARE: The rehabilitation of the Kariba Dam wall is progressing well with works being 67 percent complete, said the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a bi-national organization managing the dam on behalf of the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, in an update Friday.

The 294.2 million-U.S.-dollar project, which comprises three components — the reshaping of the plunge pool, refurbishment of the spillway upstream control facility and institutional strengthening — is projected to be completed by the first quarter of 2025.

Overall, the objective of the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project is to address dam safety concerns and restore the structural integrity of the dam for its long-term reliability and safety of operation, the ZRA said.

Kariba Dam, which is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, is the world’s largest man-made dam by water storage capacity. It is an important resource that provides water for hydropower generation, which is a critical cog in the socioeconomic development of the two countries.

The dam supplies water to Zambia’s 1,080 MW-North Bank Power Station and Zimbabwe’s 1,050 MW-South Bank Power Station, also known as the Kariba Hydro Power Station. The two power stations were in recent years upgraded by Chinese firm Sinohydro, which added 360 MW to the North Bank Power Station and 300 MW to Kariba Power Station.

The rehabilitation project started in 2017 and is jointly funded by the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, the Swedish government and the Zambezi River Authority.