Joint Zambia-Zimbabwe $5bn dam project near Victoria Falls approved by UN agency

A UN agency has given Zambia and Zimbabwe permission to build a $5 billion hydropower dam downstream from Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the authority overseeing its construction.
Environmentalists have protested the 2,400-megawatt Batoka Gorge project, which is located 47 kilometers from the world’s largest waterfall, saying it would have a potential impact on the cascade, a popular tourist destination for both countries, that spans the Zambezi River. UNESCO “sent inspectors in 2022 after complaints by some environmentalists that the Batoka project was going to affect the Victoria Falls,” Munyaradzi Munodawafa, chief executive officer of the Zambezi River Authority, noted. They “looked at the reports and our presentations and agreed that Batoka could go ahead” at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee last month, he added.
The construction of the 181-meter high wall and power plants by a consortium led by General Electric Co. and China’s Power Construction Corp. had been expected to start in 2020 but was pushed back because of the Covid-19 outbreak and funding issues. Both Zambia and Zimbabwe, which already share the Kariba hydropower complex further east on the Zambezi, have struggled to meet their power needs. “Now we are good to go” said Munodawafa. “We are on solid ground and by the end of next month, I will have an actual date of commencement. The African Development Bank (ADB) is the primary arranger for Batoka’s funding. There are still disagreements between Zambia and Zimbabwe about the project, especially regarding the size and cost of the project.