Cement manufacturing company, PPC Zimbabwe has said it is ready to study implementing the US$43 million solar project after securing the required funding.
PPC Zimbabwe Managing Director Mr Kelibone Masiyane made the announcement on Wednesday last week during a fact-finding visit by the Parliamentary portfolio committee on Industry and Commerce.
The project is set to be carried out on two farms which will produce 30 megawatts with the Bulawayo plant requiring only 17 megawatts, while the remaining 13 megawatts are set to be fed into the national grid.
A total of 20 000 solar panels will be installed at a farm in Umguza just next to the Bulawayo plant while 40 000 panels will be put up in Colleen Bawn, Gwanda with all the panels being the sun tracking type.
Mr Masiyane said they had completed financial closure paving way for work to commence on the ground. He said:
We are spending roughly about US$43 million for two solar plants, one in Colleen Bawn and the other here in Bulawayo. We have thus concluded the financial closure in the last two weeks so now that it is done you must start seeing some activity on the ground.
We are investing in solar, green energy which is part of our de-carbonisation journey. As a cement producer you are aware that we are notorious for releasing a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
If you look at annual release, we contribute about eight percent of global emissions as cement producers.
The development comes as Zimbabwe is failing to generate enough power for local consumption. Zimbabwe’s power-generating capacity is 1 400 megawatts, but the projected national peak demand is 2 400 megawatts.
The southern African country imports some electricity from South Africa and Mozambique, nevertheless, imports are not enough to cover the deficit.