Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station

Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station is a 175 MW (235,000 hp) natural gas-fired thermal power plant located in the town of Ressano Garcia in the Maputo Province of Mozambique.[1]

Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station
Map
CountryMozambique
LocationRessano Garcia, Moamba District, Maputo Province
Coordinates25°27′42″S 32°00′19″E / 25.46167°S 32.00528°E / -25.46167; 32.00528
StatusOperational
Commission dateFebruary 2016
OwnerElectricidade de Moçambique & Sasol
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Power generation
Nameplate capacity175 MW (235,000 hp)
External links
Websitectrg.co.mz

Location

edit

The power station is located in the town of Ressano Garcia, in the Moamba District of Maputo Province. This is in extreme southwestern Mozambique, adjacent to the international border with South Africa. Ressano Garcia sits across the border from the town of Komatipoort, in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, approximately 96 kilometres (60 mi), northwest of the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.[2] The coordinates of the power station are 25°27'42.0"S, 32°00'19.0"E (Latitude:-25.461667; Longitude:32.005278).[3]

Overview

edit

The power station is jointly owned by (a) Electricidade de Moçambique, the Mozambican electricity utility monopoly company and (b) Sasol New Energy, a 100 percent subsidiary of Sasol Limited, a South Africa-based chemical and energy conglomerate. The table below illustrates the shareholding in the power station, as of January 2021.[4]

Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station Stock Ownership
Rank Name of Owner Percentage Ownership
1 Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM)
51.0
2 Sasol New Energy
49.0
Total
100.00

The power station uses natural gas, sourced from Mozambican gas fields, conveyed to the plant via the Temane–Secunda Gas Pipeline that transports the gas from Temane, in the Mozambican gas fields, to Secunda in South Africa.[4]

Construction

edit

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was awarded to Gigawatt Mozambique, SA, a subsidiary of South African-based Gigajoule Group, a company that develops, operates and invests in sustainable energy projects in Southern Africa.[5][6]

The power station was designed to have maximum capacity of 350 megawatts. Since 2015, it has been gradually, progressively built and expanded to reach capacity of 175 megawatts. As of August 2020, US$280 million had been invested so far to that stage, including US$200 spent on construction.[7]

Operation

edit

The power station sells the energy it produces to the national utility company, Electricidade de Moçambique, under a 25-year power purchase agreement. The natural gas that the plant burns to produce the electricity, is supplied by Matola Gas Company, another subsidiary of the Gigajoule Group. The electricity supplies (a) the city of Maputo (b) Maputo Province and (c) some is sold to the Southern African Power Pool. Plans are underway to expand the power station to 350 megawatts.[6]

In December 2017, the power station was re-financed to the tune of US$189 million. The table below identifies the sources of funds for the refinance:[8][9]

Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station Refinance
Rank Lender Loan in US Dollars Percentage
1 International Finance Corporation 55.0 million
29.1
2 Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund 21.0 million
11.1
3 FMO Entrepreneurial Development Bank 21.0 million
11.1
4 Absa Group Limited 42.0 million
22.2
5 PROPARCO 50.0 million
26.5
Total 189.0 million
100.0

Change in ownership

edit

In December 2020, Sasol Limited, the minority shareholder in this power station, signed binding paperwork, transferring its 49 percent shareholding to Azura Power Limited of Nigeria, for consideration of US$145 million. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in Mozambique and is subordinate to first right of refusal (pre-emption rights) by the majority shareholder, EDM.[10][11]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Macauhub (22 February 2016). "Gigawatt Moçambique inaugurates power plant at Ressano Garcia". Macauhub.com. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Road Distance Between Maputo And Ressano Garcia In Mozambique" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Location of Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b Proparco (7 September 2017). "Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Plant: A Loan To Support Power Generation In Mozambique". Paris, France: PROPARCO. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. ^ Gigajoule Group (January 2021). "Gigajoule Group's Background". Gigajoule Group. Centurion, South Africa. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Gigajoule Group (January 2021). "Our Power Plant". Centurion, South Africa: Gigajoule Group. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  7. ^ Lusa (27 August 2020), Mozambique: Largest thermal power plant makes €15.4M profit in 2019, Maputo: Club of Mozambique, retrieved 6 January 2021
  8. ^ PIDG (January 2021). "Refinance of Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station". London, United Kingdom: Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  9. ^ IFC (22 January 2018). "IFC Supports EDM and Sasol in Mozambique Power Project Financing". Washington DC, United States: International Finance Corporation (IFC). Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. ^ Club of Mozambique (21 December 2020). "Sasol to sell stake in Mozambique power plant to Azura Power". Maputo: Club of Mozambique.
  11. ^ "Mozambique: Sasol Pulling Out of Ressano Garcia Power Station". Maputo: Mozambique Information Agency. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
edit