The African Development Bank (AfDB) has invited eligible consultants to express their interest in preparing a feasibility study for a floating solar power plant on the Lake Kariba Reservoir at the Kariba Dam. 

The Kariba Dam is operated and managed by the Zambezi River Authority, a bilateral organization owned by both Zambia and Zimbabwe, to maintain the Kariba Dam Complex that the 2 countries share. 

The authority is also in charge of developing the full hydropower potential on the shared portion of the Zambezi River that’s common to both countries. 

The 2 countries are exploring floating solar PV technology to increase power generation capacity as, along with the Southern African Power Pool, they suffer a power deficit due to poor hydrology affecting the Zambezi catchment. 

The selected consultant under the call will be tasked with preliminary as well as full feasibility studies for the Kariba site. The assessment should incorporate the socio-economic aspect of the proposed floating PV project to guide the authorities. 

The development of financing and business models too will be part of the service agreement. 

The AfDB has issued the call under the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa’s (SEFA) Africa Hydropower Modernization Program (AHMP). 

Launched on May 15, 2024, the bank will accept applications to the call till June 15, 2024, according to the tender details. 

Last year in March 2023, China Energy Engineering was reported to have proposed to build a 1 GW floating solar power plant on Zimbabwe’s Kariba Dam (see 1 GW Floating PV Power Plant Planned In Zimbabwe).