Batoka Gorge Hydropower Project, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Zambezi River Authority is developing the Batoka Gorge Hydro Electricity Scheme (BHES) a 2.4 GW hydroelectric project located across the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River approximately 54 km downstream of the Victoria Waterfall.
The project scope encompasses a run-of-the-river hydroelectric facility comprising a 181m-high and 720 m-long roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity arch dam and two 1200 MW surface power plants on the north and south banks of the Zambezi River. Each power plant will be equipped with six 200 MW hydro turbines.
The reservoir will have a catchment area of 508,000 km² and four intakes which will take the water through 4.2 km of tunnels to both the power plants to generate electricity.The project aims to have a crest overflow type spillway with 12 radial gates. Each radial gate will measure 13m-high and 14m-wide. The design capacity of the spillway will be 20,000 m³/s.
