The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has embarked on the final stage of its Kariba Dam rehabilitation project (KDRP) with the launch of a tender for the spillway rehabilitation works to a shortlist of three prequalified companies – China Gezhouba Group, the CMC/ATB Kariba joint venture and GE Hydro France.
The tender will close on June 21, with procurement scheduled to be completed in time for the works contract to be awarded by the fourth quarter of this year.
The spillway rehabilitation works are expected to be completed by 2025.
The $294-million KDRP is being funded by the European Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the government of Sweden, as well as the ZRA on behalf of the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The KDRP entails the refurbishment of the upstream stop-beam guides and the replacement of secondary concrete, as well as the design fabrication and installation of an emergency gate and a new gantry as an additional safety precaution.
The KDRP will result in the reshaping of the plunge pool downstream of the dam wall, which started in 2017, and the rehabilitation of the spillway. The spillway comprises six gates in the upper part of the concrete dam wall through which the ZRA releases water into the plunge pool to manage reservoir water levels.
“The spillway rehabilitation will ensure the continued safe, controlled release of water from the reservoir when this is required. “It will restore the Kariba dam to full operability and ensure its continued contribution to energy security and economic growth, prosperity and poverty alleviation,” says ZRA CE and engineer Munyaradzi Munodawafa.
