Construction works on seven solar PV projects in Zimbabwe with a combined capacity of 66.6 MW are at advance stages of completion. The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) said the energy plants will be connected to the national grid by end of this year.
“The fact that we are expecting seven power plants to come online by end of the year is a clear signal that we do have robust regulations that protect the investor and the consumer as well,” said ZERA CEO Edington Mazambani.
The seven energy projects under construction include; is the 5 MW Wartrail Power Plant in Bulilimamangwe, Matabeleland South province, 5 MW Sunset Technologies Solar Park in Gwanda, Matabeleland South province, a 20 MW solar array in Seke, Mashonaland East province, a 25 MW Chidobe-Mizpah project in Hwange District, Matebeleland North, and the 5 MW Guruve Solar Park in Guruve District, Mashonaland Central province. The six projects have all secured power purchase agreements with an unspecified power utility. Plum Solar (Pvt) Ltd which is developing Wartrail Power Plant has a 20-year PPA, while the remaining deals have 25-year terms.
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National Renewable Energy Policy
The seventh energy installation is an off-grid MW hybrid solar-diesel project in Mashonaland East province, with a capacity of 0.5 MW. It is being developed by Kefalos Cheese Products (Pvt) Ltd. The other five projects are being developed by; Richaw Solar Tech (Pvt) Ltd, Power Ventures (Private) Ltd., and Guruve Solar Park (Pvt) Ltd.
The World Bank is helping the Zimbabwean government introduce a competitive program for procuring large scale PV power projects under the recently completed National Renewable Energy Policy.
The nation is in desperate need of power generation capacity and solar offers a cheap, scalable solution. Zimbabwe had only 11 MW of installed solar capacity at the end of December 2018, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
