Project Pipeline

Build, own, operate and transfer a 358 MW hydropower plant situated on the Shire River in the southern Blantyre and Neno districts

• Building a main dam and a regulating dam, along with two reservoirs and two powerhouses –
  The 55-metre-high main dam will create a 20.2-square-kilometre main reservoir with a total storage of 272.5 million cubic metres, out of which 58 million cubic metres will be used for electricity generation.
  Water from the main reservoir will drop by approximately 66 metres through two 900-metre underground tunnels to a 301 MW main powerhouse located 1km downstream of the main dam. This powerhouse will be able to produce about 1,236 GWh a year.
  The water discharged from the main powerhouse into the Shire River will then flow into a 1.5-square-kilometre regulating reservoir created by a 45-metre-high regulating dam located 6 km downstream of the powerhouse.
  Water from the regulating reservoir will then be discharged into the river through a 57 MW powerhouse located at the foot of the dam, which will be capable of generating 308 GWh a year.
   
• Constructing two transmission lines linking to the national grid, namely a 63 km 400 kV line running from the main powerhouse to the existing Phombeya substation and an 11 km 132 kV line that will connect the regulation dam powerhouse to the existing Tedzani-Kapichira transmission line 
   
• Upgrading the S137 road on the Blantyre side, rerouting the S137 on the Neno side and constructing a new access road between the main and regulating dams (Blantyre side). Overall, about 32 km of road will be upgraded and 10 km constructed