Australia-based Riversdale Mining, a mining company which is developing the Benga project, has revealed that the first phase of the project with a capacity of 500MW is expected to be commissioned by April 2013, said Andrew Love, the deputy chairperson of Riversdale Mining.
Andrew Love said that the success of the project would depend on the approval of the transmission access by the local electricity authority, EDM.
Riversdale, expected to take up a stake of between 50% and 80%, within two months would reveal the name of the equity partner and an environmental-impact assessment (EIA) would be finalized by September 2009.
Marco Coutinho, the project development representative of the Moatize coal-fired plant, said that the plant, which is under the first phase of building 600MW, is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2013.
EIA for the plant is expected to be finalized by September 2009, while the negotiations for the power purchase agreement with EDM were ongoing, and EDM would confirm the capacity of the transmission scheme up to the final offtakers.
Coutinho informed that the commencement of the projected is expected to begin by June 2010. If second phase of the project is completed in future that is expected add 1 800MW, then the plant can export around 300MW and 450MW of electricity to South Africa.
Vale Mozambique would remain the owner of the project till it becomes operational.
The success of both the projects depends on transmission backbone in Mozambique, and the transmission backbone in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
