Resurrecting the Sleeping Giant of Batoka Gorge to Banish the Darkness Forever

Mozel Chimuka, Agora Village, AfricaWorks | LUSAKA, 27 November 2025 —Seven gigawatts of raw power roar uselessly through the deep gorges separating Zambia and Zimbabwe while the entire Southern African region starves for the very energy that is currently crashing against the rocks and dissipating into the mist. It is a geopolitical tragedy of wasted potential where two neighbouring nations sit upon a hydrologic goldmine capable of lighting up half the continent, yet they remain shackled by a deficit that could be solved if they finally manage to cage the river that divides them.

Engineering the Zambezi

Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme represents the most substantial attempt to capture this lost energy, a subject that anchored the presentation sessions,” Zimbabwe: Project Presentations,” at the ZimZam Energy Summit held at the Radisson Blu Mosi-Oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort. Planned as a major joint venture between the two nations, the project aims to generate 2,400 megawatts of clean energy. Design specifications call for a run-of-river facility featuring two surface power plants, one on the north bank and one on the south.

“This project is being implemented by Zambezi River Authority equally owned by Zambia and Zimbabwe to generate 2,400 megawatts of clean energy,” Eng. Munyaradzi Munodawafa, Chief Executive from Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) explained. Unlike dams that flood vast tracts of land, Batoka is designed to be contained. Five square kilometres of reservoir area will be fully contained in the gorges. Containment is intentional and critical. Planners must generate power without flooding the upstream environment or damaging the aesthetics of the Victoria Falls, a constraint that requires meticulous engineering.

“Within the first quarter,” Eng. Munodawafa stated, “We should have come up with a packaged project for the Batoka… which meets the requirements of financiers”. If packaging proceeds as planned, the project will soon move to the market. He predicted that financial close should occur by late 2028. Construction would then proceed with a target for operation in the next decade. Both countries have put in their system development plan for the project to be online by 2034. While Batoka is the headline act, the river offers even more potential. Devil’s Gorge site, located downstream, holds a potential 1,000 megawatts, with pre-feasibility studies already underway.

Thermal Power and Grid Expansion

While hydro offers long-term clean energy, immediate need for base load power forces a continued reliance on thermal generation. Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings is advancing the extension of the Hwange Power Station. Following the model of units seven and eight, proposed units nine and ten will add substantial capacity.

“We are extending the Hwange power plant by way of introducing two additional units which is nine and ten,” Engineer Ndhrovu from ZESA said, noting that “We are looking at a 1 billion USD kind of investment and like I said this is base load.” ZESA is actively seeking a strategic partner to provide both equity and debt, aiming to have a bankable project structure soon. Existing assets are also receiving attention. Munyati thermal plant is set for a transition. ZESA plans to repurpose the site by installing a solar component, effectively hybridising the plant to modernise the ageing infrastructure.

“We might have about 3,200 megawatts of capacity,” admitted Eng. Man’arai Ndovorwi, Technical Services Director, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) “Which is installed capacity but in terms of the available capacity it is far far much less than that I think almost two thirds of that that is what is available”. A gap between installed and available power is the primary driver of the current crisis. Nameplate capacity of the country’s power stations does not reflect reality due to maintenance issues and ageing equipment. Reality checks like these underscore why new generation projects like Hwange and Batoka are essential for national survival.

The Arteries of Regional Power

Generation is useless without the wires to carry it. Zimbabwe’s location makes its grid vital for the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC). Strengthening the transmission backbone is a high priority. ZARA Engineer emphasised that the Batoka project is focused on stabilising the grid, alongside generating electrons.

“The Batoka is going to provide a leeway for the dense transmission system between Zambia and Zimbabwe,” said Eng. Ndovorwi,”These are key even for the Botswana line and the Namibia one hopefully also up to Angola.” A vision of a completely interconnected region where power flows freely from the hydro giants of the north to the demand centres of the south is taking shape. Eng. Ndhrovu identified specific corridors that need immediate funding, specifically the second Alaska-Sherwood project which is a USD 60m investment, and the ZABONA corridor where ZESA’s portion requires approximately 30 million USD to 40 million USD.

H.E. Honourable Yeukai Simbanegavi, Deputy Minister of Energy & Power Development, Zimbabwe, reinforced the importance of these lines, noting that they are essential for regional integration. Her remarks as Deputy Minister pointed to the need for modernisation within the grid itself, including smart grids, loss reduction technologies, and prepaid metering. Blueprints are the battle plans for a war against a blackout that threatens to stifle the potential of two nations. Every second that passes without concrete being poured is a gigawatt lost to the mist, a squandered fortune crashing uselessly against the gorge walls. For millennia the Zambezi has roared uninterrupted, but the time has come to silence the thunder and force the river to pay its rent in base load power.