Itezhi-Tezhi Dam
| Itezhi-Tezhi Dam | |
|---|---|
 Zambia
|
|
| Location | Itezhi-Tezhi, Zambia |
| Coordinates | 15°45′55″S 26°01′05″E / 15.76528°S 26.01806°ECoordinates: 15°45′55″S 26°01′05″E / 15.76528°S 26.01806°E |
| Construction began | 1974 |
| Opening date | 1977 (hydroelettric plant 2016) |
| Construction cost | 275,000,000 US$ |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Kafue River |
| Height | 62 m (203 ft) |
| Length | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | February 2016 |
| Turbines | 2 × 60 MW (80,000 hp) |
| Installed capacity | 120 MW (160,000 hp) |
The Itezhi-Tezhi Dam on the Kafue River in west-central Zambia was built between 1974 and 1977 at the Itezhi-Tezhi Gap, in a range of hills through which the river had eroded a narrow valley, leading to the broad expanse of the wetlands known as the Kafue Flats. The town of Itezhi-Tezhi rests to the north side of the dam.
The dam has a height of 62 metres (203 ft), a crest length of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) and forms a reservoir of 390 square kilometres (150 sq mi), which flooded a section of the Kafue National Park.
The initial purpose of the dam is to store water for the Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station more than 260 kilometres (160 mi) downstream. The Kafue River, like most in south-central Africa, has a very high seasonal variation, flooding in the rainy season and slowing to perhaps a twentieth of the peak flow rate at the end of the dry season. Power generation however requires a steady flow, which can only be achieved by having a reservoir large enough to store the rainy season flood for use in the dry season. At the Kafue Gorge the topography does not allow a large enough reservoir to form. The designers of the dam therefore had the idea of siting the main reservoir at Itezhi-Tezhi, and releasing the water in a steady flow down the river along the Kafue Flats to the Kafue Gorge Dam.
Construction began in 2011 of a 120 megawatts (160,000 hp) power station at the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam and is due for completion in 2015. The $250 million plant is being constructed and will be operated by Itezhi Tezhi Power Company (ITPC), a joint venture between ZESCO, the Zambian state-owned power company, and TATA Africa. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor is Sinohydro and two 60MW Kaplan turbines are being supplied by Alstrom.
In 2014, The African Development Bank (AfDB), the Dutch Development Bank FMO, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and Propaco of France provided the Zambian Government with a loan of $142 million to fund approximately half of the project cost. The power station was fully commissioned in February 2016.
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Wikipedia