IFC consultant Bruno Trouille says the project will be executed using the public–private partnership model. He said that feasibility studies, valuing $6 million, will be completed shortly.
The KGL scheme will be situated immediately downstream of the current 900-MW Kafue Gorge upper hydroelectric power station, which is around 65 kilometers upstream of the confluence of the Kafue and Zambezi rivers.
IFC senior investments officer Javier Calvo says he is confident that the project will meet environmental-impact needs. He advises the Zambian government to guarantee that the cost of implementing the project is decreased so that the tariffs are not too exorbitant for consumers.
Zambia’s Ministry of Energy permanent secretary Peter Mumba says bidding for the KGL project is still open to both domestic and foreign frims, adding that the project will help decrease power scarcity in the nation, a major copper producer.
The names of the 15 bidders have not been revealed, but the Copperbelt Energy Company, and Mopani Copper Mines, which is owned by Glencore international, are supposed to be among the bidders.
