Zimbabwe Gives Green Light to French Consortium for 2,000-Megawatt Thermal Power Project

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Pre-construction phase preparations are being finalized by the French consortium that has been granted a license by the Zimbabwe government to build a 2,000-megawatt (MW) thermal power plant in Zimbabwe. Elton Mangoma, the minister of Energy and Power Development, said that the $3 billion project would assist in alleviating the country's chronic power shortages.

Demand for power is rising steeply and after a decade of contraction in Zimbabwe's economy that was caused by sanctions, and the economic life of the country is showing significant signs of growth.

The new power station will be sited on the Lusulu coal fields at Binga, in Zimbabwe's Matabele North province. The coal fields have an estimated reserve of 1.2 billion tons of coal.

Zesa Holdings, the country's sole power utility, is currently producing about 1,400 MW, with national demand running at more than 2,000 MW a day. The supply gap is being bridged with imported power from neighboring countries.

To meet the challenge of the power shortage, the government is also planning to expand existing power stations at Hwange and Kariba to increase grid capacity. The 1,600-MW Batoka Gorge plant is another project in the pipeline and will add 800 MW to Zimbabwe's supply and 800 MW to Zambia. The site is 50 kilometers downstream from Victoria Falls. In January, Zimbabwe agreed to pay $70.8 million to Zambia to facilitate the construction of the hydropower station, which could involve an investment of $3 billion.

The minister said that more companies were showing interest in investing in the country's power sector and enquiries were being received.

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