The international tender for the construction of the power line between Mozambique and Malawi is due to be launched by March 2020, Mozambique’s deputy minister of Mineral Resources and Energy said on Monday in Maputo.

Augusto Sousa Fernando said the start-up of this line is of vital importance not only for Malawi but also for Mozambique, as it will also benefit several communities throughout the Marara, Changara, Moatize districts and the city of Tete along its route.

The Secretary of State, quoted by Mozambican newspaper Notícias, said that the result of the public tender will be known by December 2020, and the works should be completed by the end of 2022.

With a cost currently estimated at US$100 million on the Mozambican side, the infrastructure will be funded by the World Bank and the governments of Norway and Germany, in the latter case through the KFW bank.

Official figures released last August showed that the German government made a donation of 30 million euros, the Norwegian government a donation of US$24 million and the World Bank another US$42 million.

The project involves the construction of a 400-kV substation and a 218-kilometer power transmission line between Matambo (Tete province) and Phombeya (Malawi), connecting the two countries’ power grids.

This transmission line will link Malawi to the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) for the first time, allowing Mozambique to export electricity to the country, following the signing of a power purchase agreement and other technical and trade agreements between EDM and the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (Escom) in April 2019 in Blantyre.

— Macauhub