Mozambique Set to Help SA Score Power for World Cup

Mozambique utility EDM, in conjunction with Mozambican group Intelec Holdings and South Africa’s Sasol, has announced plans to build a 680 MW thermal power plant in the southern Maputo province. The plant will help combat the energy crisis in South Africa in preparation for the World Cup set to be held in the country in 2010.

The project is estimated to cost approximately $1.3 billion with South African utility Eskom expressing an interest in utilizing the plant to increase its purchase of power for the sporting event.

"The costs will be born by EDM, the Mozambican holding company Intelec, and the South African petro-chemical giant Sasol, which operates the natural gas fields in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane," it said in a statement.

Mozambique is one of the few countries in southern Africa with a surplus of power. The country’s major dam holds the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric plant, which produces 2,075 MW of electricity. It currently provides 60% of its power to Eskom and 35% to Zimbabwe’s Zesa, while Mozambique consumes 5%.