Japan funds new power plant in Maputo

19 Jan, 2014

Power facility being built on site of former Sonefe plant

Japan is loaning Mozambique the $174m needed to construct a new gas-fired power plant in Maputo to help the nation meet its growing demand for electricity.

The power station will add 110 MW to the national grid when it becomes operational in 2018, and will also act as a back-up for Maputo.

The new power station will be built on the site where the former Sonefe coal and oil-fired plant once stood before being decommissioned shortly after the end of the nation's civil war in 1992.

Although it has huge gas reserves, Mozambique has frequent power shortages. The nation has around 700 MW of power available however demand can be up to 800 MW at peak times.