Mphanda Nkuwa Dam


Mphanda Nkuwa Dam is a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Zambezi River in Mozambique. The dam would be located about downstream of the existing Cahora Bassa Dam near the city of Tete. Its power station would have a capacity of 1,500 megawatts.
The dam would be high and flood approximately of the Zambezi valley. The estimated cost of the project is US$4.2 billion. Once the dam is completed, it is expected that most of the generated power will be sold to South Africa, because of the lack of transmission infrastructure in Mozambique.
The proposed dam is highly controversial because it would force the relocation of 1,400 families, and affect the livelihoods of a further 200,000 people downriver. Because the dam would be operated on a peaking basis, large daily fluctuations in river flow would ruin existing irrigation systems and affect aquaculture in the river's extensive delta. The United Nations has described this project as the "least environmentally acceptable major dam project in Africa."
In 2015, the Mozambique government announced it would start construction of the dam. The construction was contracted to Camargo Corrêa of Brazil, INSITEC of Mozambique, and Electricidade de Moçambique. In 2020, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi wished construction of the dam started before 2024.