Action plan to speed up pace of Mozambique-Malawi power line construction

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Action plan to speed up pace of Mozambique-Malawi power line construction

1:31 CAT | 22 Jul 2024

File photo: Notícias

The Mozambican authorities are working with the Indian contractor engaged to work on the Mozambique-Malawi high voltage transmission line to accelerate the current pace of progress.

In recent statements to ‘Notícias’, the director of Electrification and Projects at Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), Cláudio Dambe, acknowledged that progress was so far disappointing, which is why an action plan had been drawn up.

Dambe indicated that a first evaluation of this plan could be carried out this month, saying:
“Right now we have technicians on the ground to assess what has really been done, and I believe that we will have the results in the next few days.”

The source also acknowledged that delays had occurred not only in Mozambique but also on the Malawian side, but that the situation was most serious here.

“There is indeed a delay in Malawi, but what happens is that in Mozambique the length of the line is twice as long as in the neighbouring country and the contractor is the same, which is why the problems that occur on the other side of the border are also being addressed,” he explained.

Dambe said that the delays in Mozambique were not at all attributed to the Indian contractor, mainly because right at the beginning of the project there was a need to hire a specialised company for demining, and that the line had to cross an area reserved for mining exploration, requiring negotiation with the concessionaire.

He acknowledged however that, after this phase, the contractor’s slowness in carrying out the work was noticeable.

Regarding whether or not there is a risk that the project might fail to meet the deadline set for completion, the source said that it was premature to make statements to that effect, and that conclusions would only be made public after the assessment of the action plan.

It should be noted that the first stone for the construction of the high voltage transmission line between Mozambique and Malawi was laid in November, 2021, though work proper only began in March, 2023.

Source: Notícias