By:Newzimbabwe

Put aside the recent political turmoil, Mozambique set in motion an energy juggernaut plan that left many African nations drooling in awe.

Let’s rewind a bit. In 2023, energy exports from coal, gas, and electricity topped US$5.8 billion. Coal led the pack with $3.4 billion, followed by gas at $1.73 billion and electricity ($658 million). 80% of its electricity exports went to SA and 15.4% to Zimbabwe.

With 180 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves mainly in the Rovuma Basin off the coast of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique is only bettered by Nigeria (with 203 trillion cubic feet) in Africa. It ranks 14th in the world. Energy giants TotalEnergies (France), Exxon Mobil (USA), Eni (Italy) and CNPC (China) are the key LNG operators in Mozambique.

Cahora Bassa Hydro power station in Tete province has a power generation capacity of 2,075MW, and plans are underway to increase it to 4,000MW. The following hydroelectric power plants are also in the pipeline and will be online between 2027 and 2031: Mphanda Nkuwa, 1,500MW (Tete); Chemba, 1,000 MW (Sofala); Lupata, 650MW (Tete); and Boroma, 210MW (Tete). This is hydropower only; there is solar and thermal to boot.

For comparison, Zimbabwe generates about 1,500MW but has an installed capacity of about 2,240MW (hydro and thermal). According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census, 62% of Zimbabwe’s population has access to electricity  – though it’s not mentioned how many hours per day was/is the electricity actually available.

According to the International Trade Administration (ITA), Mozambique aims to achieve universal electrification by 2030. Significant strides to achieve this goal have been made. It moved from 34% in 2021 to 48% in 2022 in terms of population with access to electricity. With the investments made and the work in progress, energy for all is within reach for sure.

The Mozambican government plans an additional 14,000MW of green energy (hydro) between 2030 and 2040. In its energy transition strategy document, the government plans a whooping US$80 billion investment in the energy sector by 2050. Serious stuff!

ITA adds that Mozambique has the largest power generation potential of all Southern African countries. Power Africa estimates that the nation could generate 187 gigawatts (187,000MW) of power from coal, hydro, gas, wind, and solar.