The Governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe have made an emergency decision to speed up the construction of Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme (BGHES) at a cost of 45 billion dollars.
Zambia’s Minister of energy Matthew Nkhuwa says Zambia and Zimbabwe are likely to experience power shortages due poor rainfall and hence the need to speed up the project.
Mr. Nkhuwa has told a media briefing that work has been awarded to a company in china called power China and General America and is expected to be completed in four years.
The Minister however notes that the 45 billion dollars cost for the project is likely to be revised.
And Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe says the financial Plan for the project is structured in a way that the two countries do not spend anything and the project will be handed over at the end of the four-year period.
This follows an extra ordinary meeting of the council of Ministers on the power shortage in Zambia and Zimbabwe caused by poor rainfall.