Staff Reporter
The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) has awarded a R12.5 million contract for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Oxbow Hydropower Scheme to the ELC, Greenway, and Green Gold Joint Venture.
The contract, awarded in mid-November, marks a critical milestone in the advancement of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
The ESIA work, set to begin in January 2025, will take approximately one year to complete. The selected joint venture comprises Italy’s ELC Electroconsult S.p.A., Lesotho’s Greenway Consultancy (Pty) Ltd, and South Africa’s Green Gold Group (Pty) Ltd.
This contract follows the recent award of the Oxbow Hydropower Design and Construction Supervision contract, signalling steady progress in the project. The Oxbow hydropower scheme is a major element of Phase II of the LHWP, alongside ongoing developments such as the Polihali Dam and Polihali Transfer Tunnel.
Scope of the ESIA
The ESIA will address key environmental and social factors and includes the following tasks:
- Conducting a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment.
- Developing Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) and specialised studies.
- Ensuring compliance with Lesotho’s Environment Act of 2008 and international standards, including the IFC Performance Standards.
- Supporting the application for a Record of Decision (RoD).
- Informing decisions on site selection, engineering designs, construction specifications, and monitoring requirements.
- Project management and contract administration.
The Oxbow hydropower scheme will include a dam on the Malibamatso River, a gated intake structure, a headrace tunnel, a surface powerhouse, and related infrastructure.
Construction will also require the diversion of the A1 national road and the building of a diversion weir and transfer tunnel to discharge water into the ‘Muela reservoir.
The LHWP aims to enhance water resource management and energy production in Lesotho. The Oxbow Hydropower Scheme is seen as a key step toward reducing Lesotho’s reliance on imported energy and meeting its growing electricity demands.
Phase II builds on the success of Phase I, which concluded in 2003 and included major projects like the Katse Dam, ‘Muela Hydropower Plant, and Mohale Dam. The current phase consists of the Polihali Dam, a water transfer tunnel, and the Oxbow Hydropower Scheme, the hydropower component.
The LHWP is a bi-national initiative between Lesotho and South Africa, involving water transfer, hydropower generation, and ancillary developments. Managed by the LHDA on behalf of Lesotho’s government, the project includes infrastructure to store, regulate, and transfer water while generating hydroelectric power.
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