Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development Tsitsi Muzenda has revealed that the country’s three major solar projects are hanging in the balance due to lack of funding. Muzenda added that people who had won the bids did not have sufficient resources to undertake the projects. The three major solar projects are Gwanda Solar Project, Munyati and Bulawayo-located Insunkamini project.
Muzenda said:
Most of our solar projects have been having challenges in that people bid, they are given permission to do whatever they are supposed to do, but at times those people would not be having (financial) resources.
There is Gwanda, Munyati and the other one, all those projects were supposed to be on course by now but funding has been our greatest problem.
You are aware that most of what is supposed to be used, the solar panels and so forth are imported so the capital outlay is quite massive
Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo who won the tender to build the Gwanda solar project has been unable to start the project despite receiving an upfront payment of US$5 million before commencing work at the behest of Energy minister Samuel Undenge. Speaking of Wicknell’s Gwanda Project, Muzenda said that Wicknell’s partners are yet to release the funds as they were unhappy with the businessman’s company Intratek. Said Chivhayo
With the Gwanda one, the challenge has been that the people who were supposed to finance that later were not happy with the local partner so they have had to change whatever they had agreed to.
We are hoping that very soon the Gwanda one will be on course
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