Cahora Bassa: an introduction

From Wikipedia,
Cahora Bassa
A partial view of Cahora Bassa from space.
Location Mozambique
Coordinates
1540 !150" # 15.$$%
!1.&!!" Coor'i(ates) 1540 !150" # 15.$$%
!1.&!!"
Lake type *eservoir
Primary inflows +ambezi *iver
Primary
outflows
+ambezi *iver
Catchment area 5$,-.% /m0
Basin countries Mozambique
Max. length .-. /m
Max. width !& /m
Surface area .,%!- /m0
Average depth .0.- m
Max. depth 15% m
ater volume 55.& /m1
Surface
elevation
!14 m
Location in Mozambique
The Cahora Bassa lakein the Portuguese colonial era (until 1!"# kno$n as Cabora
Bassa, %rom &'ung$e Kahoura-Bassa, meaning (%inish the )ob(is *%rica+s %ourth,largest
arti%icial lake, situated in the Tete Pro-ince in Mozambique. /n *%rica, onl' Lake 0olta in
1hana,Lake 2ariba, on the 3ambezi upstream o% 4ahora 5assa, and 6g'pt+s Lake
&asser are bigger in terms o% sur%ace $ater.
Contents
1 7istor'
o 1.1 Portuguese period
o 1.8 /ndependent Mozambique
8 9elated economic acti-ities
: ;ee also
" 9e%erences
< 6=ternal links
History
Portuguese period
The 4ahora 5assa ;'stem started in the late 1>?s as a pro)ect o% the Portuguese in
the @-erseas Pro-ince o% Mozambique. ;outh *%rican 1o-ernments $ere also in-ol-ed in
an agreement stating that Portugal $ould build and operate a h'droelectric generating
station at 4ahora 5assa together $ith the high,-oltage direct current (70A4# transmission
s'stem required to bring electricit' to the border o% ;outh *%rica. ;outh *%rica, on the other
hand, undertook to build and operate the *pollo con-erter station and part o% the
transmission s'stem required to bring the electricit' %rom the ;outh *%ricanBMozambican
border to the *pollo con-erter station near Midrand. ;outh *%rica $as then obliged to bu'
electricit' that Portugal $as obliged to suppl'.
Auring its construction, the dam site $as repeatedl' attacked $ithout success
b' Frelimo guerrilla insurgents in an attempt to sabotage the pro)ect. Portugal increased
popular support in Mozambique $ith this and other de-elopment $orks (see Mozambican
War o% /ndependence#. The dam began to %ill in Aecember 1!".
Cntil 8??! the dam $as operated b' 7idroelDctrica de 4ahora 5assa and )ointl' o$ned b'
Mozambique, $ith an 1EF equit' stake, and Portugal, $hich held the remaining E8F
equit'. @n &o-ember 8!, 8??! Mozambique assumed control o% the dam %rom Portugal.
G1H
/n
8??!, Portugal sold to Mozambique most o% its E8 percent stake in the 4ahora 5assa
h'droelectric po$er %acilit' in the ;outheast *%rican countr'. Finance Minister Fernando
Tei=eira dos ;antos said Portugal $ould collect C;I<? million (J!<? million# %rom the sale
o% its part o% southern *%rica+s largest h'dropo$er pro)ect. Portugal keeps a 1< percent
stake in 4ahora 5assa, though it planned to sell o%% another 1? percent at a later stage to
an in-estor that $ould be proposed b' the Mozambican go-ernment. Portugal+s Prime
Minister KosD ;Lcrates signed the agreement $ith the Mozambican go-ernment, during an
o%%icial -isit to Maputo. The agreement ended decades o% dispute bet$een Portugal and its
%ormer territor' in 6ast *%rica o-er the compan', called 7idroelectrica 4ahora 5assa. The
central disagreement $as o-er the handling o% the compan'+s estimated C;I8.8 billion
(J1.! billion# debts to Portugal. Mozambican authorities argued the' had not guaranteed
the debt and there%ore should not be liable %or the pa'ments.
Independent Mozambique
* -ie$ o% the 4ahora 5assa dam
Mozambique became independent %rom Portugal in 1!<. ;ince closure, the 3ambezi,
$hich is the %ourth largest %loodplain ri-er in *%rica, has recei-ed a %ar more regulated %lo$
rate, but disastrous natural %loods still occur. The 1!E %lood caused "< deaths, 1??,???
people to be displaced and I>8 million $orth o% damage.
G8H
*ccording to engineering consultants, (This $as the %irst %lood since completion o% 4ahora
5assa, and destro'ed the $idel' held belie% that the dam $ould %inall' bring %looding under
%ull control(.
G:H
For %urther details o% ecological problems caused b' the dam, see the article
on the 3ambezi 9i-er.
Auring the Mozambican 4i-il War (1!!M18# the transmission lines $ere sabotaged to
the e=tent that 1,E< to$ers needed to be replaced and 8,:11 re%urbished o-er a distance
o% E: km on the Mozambican side o% the line.
/n the 1?s, a%ter the end o% the ci-il $ar, 7idroelectrica Ae 4ahora 5assa (745#
appointed ;outh *%rica+s Trans,*%rica Pro)ects (T*P# to per%orm the construction
management, qualit' assurance and design support ser-ice %or the rehabilitation o% the
pro)ect. T*P assisted 745 in a$arding the construction contract to a )oint -enture compan'
comprising 4onsorzio /talia 8??? and 6nel, and a scheduled period o% 8" months $as set
%or the pro)ect. The lines in ;outh *%rica $ere damaged to a minor e=tent and onl' normal
maintenance $as required b' 6skom to get these lines back in operation.
Work on the pro)ect started in *ugust 1<. The line route in Mozambique passes through
dense bush and di%%icult terrain %rom ;ongo to the ;outh *%rican border near Pa%uri, $ith
both ser-itudes in%ested $ith landmines %rom the Mozambican 4i-il War (1!!M18# that
needed to be cleared be%ore construction $ork could commence. 7ea-', unseasonable
rain%alls later a%%ected the programme to such an e=tent that the %irst line could onl' be
completed in *ugust 1! and the second in &o-ember that same 'ear. Auring the
re%urbishment period, T*P de-eloped and implemented -arious designs and construction
methods to impro-e the o-erall programme schedules and pro)ect costs. /n spite o% the
e=treme conditions $ithin $hich the' had to re%urbish and reconstruct these lines, the $ork
$as completed $ithin schedule and $ith a limited budget. The lines ha-e, since completion,
been sub)ect to numerous tests and energised to its %ull potential. *bout 1,1?? people $ere
emplo'ed during the peak periods o% construction.
The rain%alls and se-ere %looding during Februar' 8??? in the Limpopo 9i-er -alle' again
caused considerable damage to both lines to the e=tent that about 1? to$ers collapsed and
need to be reconstructed $ithin the shortest possible time%rame to restore the po$er suppl'
to ;outh *%rica. T*P $as again entrusted b' 745 $ith the engineering, procurement and
construction management ser-ices. T*P managed to temporaril' restore po$er suppl'
through the one line $hile a more permanent solution could be carried out on the other line.
The reconstructed line is used to carr' the %ull line capacit'. T*P had to implement
uncon-entional construction techniques to reco-er temporar' suppl'. The suspension
to$ers ne=t to the ri-er crossing posed a signi%icant challenge %or a temporar' po$er
solution to obtain the required clearances o% the !11 metre le-el terrain span.
@n *pril 8!, 8?? %our %oreign nationals $ere arrested %or putting a (highl' corrosi-e(
substance into the lake in an alleged attempt to sabotage the po$er station.
G"H
The arrested
claimed to be a team %rom @rgonise *%rica, placing @rgonite pieces in the lake to impro-e
the qualit' o% etheric energ' (li%e %orce# o% the dam.
Related economic activities
Most o% the electricit' generated b' 4ahora 5assa, $hich is located on the 3ambezi 9i-er
in $estern Mozambique, is sold to nearb' ;outh *%rica. /n 8??>, 4ahora 5assa transmitted
about 1,8? mega$atts o% po$er, but the in%rastructure is capable o% higher production
le-els and the compan' had plans to almost double its output b' 8??E. /n 1" the total
installed capacit' in Mozambique $as 8,"?? MW o% $hich 1F $as h'droelectric.
* considerable kapenta %isher' has de-eloped in the reser-oir. The kapenta is assumed to
originate %rom Lake 2ariba $here it $as introduced %rom Lake Tangan'ika. *nnual catch o%
kapenta in the 4ahora 5assa dam in 8??: e=ceeded 1?,??? tonnes.
/t is $idel' belie-ed that there is a breeding colon' o% 3ambezi ;hark (trapped( inside the
dam. *s the 5ull ;hark is kno$n to tra-el more than 1?? km upstream, this phenomenon
does not con%lict $ith e=isting scienti%ic and biological %act. /n particular an ocean,d$elling
species, bull sharks are per%ectl' capable o% li-ing in %resh $ater %or their entire li%espan.
Local tribes ha-e indeed reported sightings (and attacks# b' this isolated communit' o%
shark, although these ha-e 'et to be substantiated $ith hard e-idence.
.
References
1. Jump up ^ Mozambique assumes control o% 4ahora 5assa /@L
8. Jump up ^ Terminski, 5ogumil (Ae-elopment,/nduced Aisplacement and
9esettlementN Theoretical Frame$orks and 4urrent 4hallenges(, /ndiana
Cni-ersit', 8?1:, a-ailable atNhttpNBBdlc.dlib.indiana.eduBdlcBhandleB1?<:<BEE::O
sho$P%ull
:. Jump up ^ 9endel, Palmer, and Tritton 4onsulting and Aesigning
6ngineersN (9e-ie$ o% the h'drological net$ork, and stud' o% the design o% a %lood
$arning s'stem %or the 3ambezi 9i-er(. ;upplementar' report. LondonN /nstitute o%
7'drolog', 1E?. Quoted in 9ichard 5eil%uss R Aa-id dos ;antosN Patterns o%
7'drological 4hange in the 3ambezi Aelta, Mozambique. Working Paper &o 8
Program %or the ;ustainable Management o% 4ahora 5assa Aam and The Lo$er
3ambezi 0alle' (8??1#
". Jump up ^ httpNBB$$$.iol.co.zaBinde=.phpO
setSidP1RclickSidP>ERartSidPn$8???<?<1!:E:18"84!81?E8
External links
7idroelDctrica de 4ahora 5assa (745# Website (Portuguese#
World Lake Aatabase %or %acts and %igures
4ahora 5assa, Encyclopdia Britannica.
*llen /saacman and 4hris ;neddon, (Portuguese 4olonial /nter-ention, 9egional
4on%lict and Post,4olonial *mnesiaN 4ahora 5assa Aam, Mozambique 1><M
8??8,(Conference on Lusophone Africa: Intersections between the Social Sciences G1H,
4ornell /nstitute %or *%rican Ae-elopment (Ma' 8??:#.