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Chitima power station is a shelved power station in Chitima, Cahora Bassa, Tete, Mozambique. It is also known as Cahora Bassa power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Chitima power station | Chitima, Cahora Bassa, Tete, Mozambique | -15.763003, 32.875138 (approximate) |
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Shelved | coal: unknown | 300 | unknown |
| Unit 2 | Shelved | coal: unknown | 300 | unknown |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Eurasian Resources Group SARL [100%] | Eurasian Resources Group SARL [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Eurasian Resources Group SARL [100%] | Eurasian Resources Group SARL [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Cahora Bassa
Background
120 MW Cahora Bassa power station
In November 2014, mining company Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) Mozambique, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan-based ENRC, said it was negotiating with the government of Mozambique to build a power plant. The coal-fired plant would provide energy to power the company’s operations, with the remainder sold to Mozambique’s state electricity company or exported. The proposed project included production of liquid fuels from coal and 120 megawatts of electricity to be sold in Mozambique and possibly to Zambia.[1]
The announcement came as ENRC Mozambique signed a contract with the government of Mozambique for coal mining in an area of 23,760 hectares in the Cahora Bassa district of the northwestern province of Tete. The company said it expected to mine 25 million tonnes of coal per year for 25 years. The power station would be built at the mouth of the mine.[1]
In August 2018, it was reported that direct intervention by Cahora Bassa district administrator Ana Maria Beressone had led to a resettlement agreement for the project. The agreement was signed on July 5 and identified both farm and residential land for 721 families. The project was described as a plan "to mine coal in Chissua, Tete, and burn it on the spot to generate electricity to sell to Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo".[2]
Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), a privately held company, acquired ENRC following its delisting from the London Stock Exchange.[3]
With no developments since August 2018, the 120 MW project appeared to be shelved.
600 MW Chitima power station
As of June 2021, ERG Africa's website noted the group was "developing a thermal coal project in Mozambique that is due to deliver up to 600MW of power."[4] The website advertised that "African mining will benefit significantly from Chinese investment over the coming years" and discussed the "Chitima - Mozambique Thermal Coal Project," an "investment-ready opportunity to develop a 2 x 300MW power plant, powered by coal extracted from a single open cast coal mine on the Chitima licence at 2.5 - 2.6 Mtpa run-of-mine volumes for over 25 years."[5]
Like the 120 MW proposal, the Chitima power station would be related to ERG's operations and beyond: "Chitima is a coal-fired power supplier in development for Mozambique and Central Africa, including ERGA’s Copperbelt operations. ERGA commenced the Mozambique Integrated Coal Power Project in Tete province as alternative power for its operations. Large-scale, coal-fired generation can contribute reliable and stable baseload power to a region stricken by power deficits, including a susceptibility of the existing baseload hydro-generation to drought events."[5]
Chissua, Tete (noted above), and Chitima, Tete, appear to be the same location or close by.[6]
As of July 2022, ERG's website had been reorganized.[7]
The project was not mentioned in the company’s sustainable development reports from 2022 or 2023.[8][9] As of December 2024, ERG was still advertising the project on its website: "Chitima is our investment-ready energy coal asset exhibiting a significant resource base and good development potential. The project, located in the Tete province, is currently in the feasibility stage with the option of developing a mine-mouth 2 x 300MW power plant. We welcome strong strategic partnerships to unlock the resource potential of our portfolio in a responsible and sustainable manner."[10] However, as the information on the website had remained unchanged since July 2022[7] and there had been no apparent developments on the project since then, the power station was presumed shelved.
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "ENRC Mozambique negotiates construction of thermal power plant," macauhub, November 17, 2014
- ↑ "Mozambique: Coal and resettlement," Club of Mozambique, August 10, 2018
- ↑ "History," Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), accessed June 2, 2021
- ↑ "About Us," ERG Africa, accessed June 2, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Energy," ERG Africa, accessed June 2, 2021
- ↑ "Estima, Tete, Mozambique," Mindat.org, accessed June 2, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Our Development Assets," ERG Africa, archived July 21, 2022
- ↑ "Sustainable Development Report 2022," Eurasian Resources Group, October 16, 2023
- ↑ “Sustainable Development Report 2023,” Eurasian Resources Group, September 30, 2024
- ↑ "Our Development Assets," ERG Africa, accessed December 10, 2024
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
