By Yemi Olakitan with agency report
The World Bank claims the project will hasten southern Africa’s energy transformation, but displaced people claim their concerns are not being acknowledged.
The Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project, which will be erected across the river and will be the biggest dam in Southern Africa, is expected to result in the displacement of 1,400 families, according to estimates.
Downstream, 200,000 more individuals might be impacted.
The 1.5GW Mphanda Nkuwa dam, located in the Tete province district of Marara, has been hailed by the Mozambican government as being essential to addressing energy poverty and achieving the country’s 2030 goal of achieving universal access to energy.
Environmental organisations, meanwhile, claim that the project poses a risk to the ecosystems and residents in the area.
Locals told Climate Home News that they weren’t involved in the project’s planning and had just learned about it through unofficial sources.
The project may also become unworkable due to climatic effects and an increase in irregular rainfall, according to scientists.
The World Bank, through its private investment arm the International Financial Corporation (IFC), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), are both supporting the project and pushing for the construction of the dam in spite of opposition from local residents and environmental organisations.
The project is meant to “accelerate the transition to sustainable energy to tackle climate change in Southern Africa,” according to IFC.
The two development organisations served as consultants to build the dam in May of last year with the intention of making it “attractive to reputable developers, financiers and investors to ensure competitive and least-cost power for Mozambique and the region,” according to a statement from the AfDB.
According to sources cited by Climate Home, the European Union and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have thought about participating but haven’t made a final decision yet.
Mozambique became the newest petrol exporter in Africa by the end of 2022 despite having 72% of the world’s population without access to power.
The Mphanda Nkuwa dam, the nation’s largest attempt at renewable energy, is intended to provide domestic power.
Yet, research suggests that large-scale hydro may not be as pure as first believed.
Large hydropower projects release a lot of methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, despite being a source of low-carbon electricity.
The social impact of big hydro projects has also come under fire for allegedly breaching the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples, as well as raising the danger of overtopping and floods for those who live downstream.