The critical maintenance on the Lesotho Highlands water project’s tunnels was officially completed this weekend.
Maintenance began last year in October 2024 and completed in May 2025. Initially the completion of maintenance was scheduled for the end of March, when authorities were met by technical hiccups.
Reentseng Molapo, Divisional Manager for Operations at the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) said “this project was never just about stopping the water or power. It was about securing the system for the next 20 to 30 years.”
He also said maintenance was to prevent failure of the tunnel’s steel lining.
Molapo said 300 Basotho gained important skills during the maintenance period.
Now that water is flowing again, three turbines at the Muela Hydropower station, are expected to boost electricity supply in Lesotho.
Picture: Pumps Africa