The dam began to fill in December 1974 after construction was commenced in 1969 by the Portuguese colonial government of Mozambique (Portugal).

Built in the first half of the 1970s when Mozambique was still a Portuguese territory, long stretches of the power transmission lines were sabotaged during 16 years of Mozambican Civil War which ended in 1992.

The Portuguese government built a small town for all the contractors, electricians, and engineers on top of the native Mozambique homes.

These places will still be able to use electricity due to the energy that has been stored in a device called an accumulator or by using the pumping method.

The Cahora Bassa system is the largest hydroelectric scheme in southern Africa with the powerhouse containing five 415 megawatts (557,000 hp) turbines.

Most of the power generated is exported to South Africa, which is done by the Cahora Bassa HVDC system, a set of High voltage direct current lines.

The amount of water that flows through these turbines makes this dam the largest hydroelectric plant in southern Africa.

The EPC contactor for the rehabilitation is a consortium comprising Sweco from Sweden and Intertechne Consultores from Brazil.