Maputo, July 20, 2026 (Lusa) - The Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Power Station (HCB) in Mozambique has restored the reservoir's usable capacity to 56% after it had reached historic lows, enabling restrictions to be lifted.
Energy production rose by 13% to €226 million up to June, the Mozambican state-owned company said in a statement today.
The company said it produced 6,399.03 gigawatt-hours (GWh) between January and June, a 13% increase compared with the first half of 2025 and approximately 10% above the production target set for the period.
HCB said that this result was achieved through an «exploitation and operation strategy based on careful management of water resources», which made it possible to «reconcile increased energy production with the replenishment of the Cahora Bassa reservoir, thereby strengthening the sustainability of the operation and energy security».
The Cahora Bassa reservoir is the fourth-largest in Africa, with a length of 270 kilometres, a width of 30 kilometres between its banks, an area of 2,700 square kilometres, and an average depth of 26 metres. It employs almost 800 workers and is one of the largest electricity producers in Southern Africa, supplying neighbouring countries.
The company attributes the reservoir's recovery to «more favourable hydrological conditions observed in the Zambezi Basin, particularly in the Cahora Bassa catchment itself», as well as to «the operational, engineering and maintenance management measures implemented by the company».
In the first six months of the year, the reservoir's usable storage increased by around 35 percentage points, rising from approximately 20%, considered a historic low, to 56%.
According to HCB, this recovery «marks a significant turnaround following two consecutive hydrological years characterised by severe drought» and «paves the way for a gradual lifting of the operational restrictions in place since July 2024».
The financial results mirrored the operational performance, reaching $263 million (€226 million), with net profit exceeding $115 million (€99 million).
HCB also noted that these results were achieved against a backdrop of «zero workplace accidents» during the half-year.
Quoted in the press release, the chair of HCB's board of directors, Tomás Matola, stated that «these results demonstrate the company's ability to respond to operational challenges, whilst simultaneously preserving the sustainability of water resources».
«Producing more energy, whilst replenishing the reservoir's strategic reserves, demonstrates HCB's ability to provide a reliable energy supply,» Matola added.
Electricity production in Mozambique fell by 25% in 2025, influenced by the lack of water in the HCB reservoir, following the «worst rainfall figures» in 43 years, according to official information previously reported by Lusa.
In a 2025 budget implementation report, the government noted that total electricity production in the country stood at 14,408,381 megawatt-hours (MWh) – 14,408.3 GWh – representing 76.7% of the annual target and a 25.4% decrease compared with 2024.
The country «is the largest producer of hydroelectricity in Southern Africa,» and almost all of its production comes from the HCB supplemented by other small dams managed by Eletricidade de Moçambique, the report adds.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
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