THE Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) will today host the 31st Council of Ministers (COM) meeting between Zimbabwe and Zambia to discuss bilateral issues concerning common developments along the river, including the Batoka hydroelectric project. RICHARD MUPONDE SENIOR REPORTER
The COM is the supreme body of this bi-lateral organisation. It comprises the Energy and Finance ministers and Attorney-Generals of the two countries. ZRA chief executive officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa yesterday said the three-day meeting would be held in Livingstone after a meeting of the Inter-governmental Committee of Officials yesterday.
“Its participants are also drawn from the same ministries plus the electricity utility companies namely, Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited and Zimbabwe Power Company,” said Munodawafa.
“Among other bilateral issues, the meeting is expected to discuss the ZRA budget, progress on the Batoka Hydroelectric Scheme and the rehabilitation of the Kariba Dam. The ministers are also expected to visit the Batoka proposed site and the recently-completed access roads to the Batoka site.”
ZRA is mandated to harness and manage the Zambezi River waters for socioeconomic development and to maintain the Kariba Dam Complex, including any future dams or infrastructure on the river forming a common border between the two countries.
The construction of a 1 600 megawatt (MW) hydro power plant to the tune of $6 billion at the Batoka Gorge along the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls has gathered momentum.
ZRA shortlisted six international transaction advisors for the project in December last year.
The project involves the construction of a dam and a hydro power plant on the Zambezi River. The potential capacity of the site is 1 600MW to be shared equally between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
