A 20MWp solar power plant is set to be built at Blanket gold mine in Zimbabwe by Canadian mining operator Caledonia Mining Corporation. This is after the company obtained US $13m through the sale of 597,963 shares in a market offer (MBO) for the construction of the project which will be carried out on a 40-hectare site. The plant is intended to offset load shedding due to deficiencies in Zimbabwe’s national electricity distribution network.
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A three-phase project
The mine operator plans to implement the project in three phases. The first phase will produce 6.55MWp, which will be utilized during daylight hours, at the gold mine located 15km northwest of the town of Gwanda, in the province of Matabeleland South. At nightfall; the gold mine will utilize electricity from the grid and previously installed diesel generators.
The company already advertised tenders for the implementation of the project late last year under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.
