Maputo, May 21, 2025 (Lusa) — According to government forecasts, Electricity production in Mozambique is expected to fall by 1.3% in 2025 due to maintenance work at the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Plant (HCB), the country's largest producer and one of the main dams in Africa.
According to official government data Lusa consulted on Wednesday, with estimates for 2025, "a decrease in electricity production of around 1.3% is expected, influenced by the need for maintenance of generators and the reduction of the hydrological cycle" at HCB, "which represents around 78.7% of the production and export structure".
As a result, Mozambique is expected to produce 19,197.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity this year, with 15,504.4 GWh guaranteed by HCB in the central province of Tete. This is a reduction of 4.1% compared to 2024 and the lowest figure in four years.
Overall, electricity production from hydro sources, including the Cahora Bassa dam, is expected to decline by 4.1% this year, while electricity production from thermal power plants is expected to increase by 17.6%. Almost half of this will come from the CTRG natural gas plant, which is expected to produce 1.196.3 GWh in 2025, up 7.4% compared to 2024.
According to the same document, production at solar parks in Mozambique is expected to decline by 5.8% to 95.5 GWh this year.
HCB is a private limited company, 85% owned by the state-owned Companhia Elétrica do Zambeze and 7.5% by the Portuguese company Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN). The company owns 3.5% of its shares, and the remaining 4% is in the hands of Mozambican citizens, companies, and institutions.
The Cahora Bassa reservoir is the fourth largest in Africa, with a maximum length of 270 kilometres and 30 kilometres between banks. It occupies 2,700 square kilometres and has 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 dam is located in a narrow gorge of the Zambezi River and was built between 1969 and 1 June 1974, during the Portuguese colonial period, followed by the filling of the reservoir. Commercial operation began in 1977 by transmitting the first 960 megawatts (MW) produced by three generators, compared to the current installed capacity of 2,075 MW.
HCB already plans to reactivate the new power plant project in the north in response to the region's growing demand for electricity.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
