Kariba Dam rehabilitation now 80 percent complete

THE US$294.2 million rehabilitation project of the Kariba Dam wall is now 80 percent complete, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has said.

Comprising three components — the reshaping of the plunge pool, refurbishment of the spillway upstream control facility and institutional strengthening — the rehabilitation is projected to be completed by the first quarter of 2025, according to the ZRA, a bi-national organisation managing the dam on behalf of the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“Upon completion, the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) will be recorded in history as the first project of this magnitude ever undertaken with open-pit excavation at the foot of a 60-year-old dam with underground powerhouses on either bank of the river in full operation.

“To date, the overall project (including the Spillway Refurbishment sub-project) is about 80 percent complete,” said ZRA chief executive Munyaradzi Munodawafa.

According to the ZRA, the overall objective of the KDRP is to address dam safety concerns and restore the structural integrity of the dam for its long-term reliability and safety of operation. Shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, Kariba Dam supplies water to Zambia’s 1,080 megawatts (MW) North Bank Power Station and Zimbabwe’s 1,050 MW South Bank Power Station, also known as the Kariba Hydro Power Station.

The two power stations have in recent years been upgraded by Chinese firm Sinohydro, which has added 360 MW to the North Bank Power Station and 300 MW to Kariba Power Station. — Xinhua