Invictus Energy Is Planning To Build A Gas-to-power Plant In Zimbabwe

Invictus Energy, an Australian firm, which recently made a significant gas condensate discovery in Zimbabwe is planning to build a gas-to-power plant to monetise the hydrocarbons.

GeoAssociates director Paul Chimbodza stated in an interview with The Sunday Mail that the company plans to quickly monetise the gas from Mukuyu-2 by building a gas-to-power plant. GeoAssociates is the licence holder of special grant 4 571 covering Mukuyu-1/2, and its partners Invictus Energy and One Gas Resources. Chimbodza believes that this discovery can be a game-changer for Zimbabwe’s exports and energy security. He is quoted as saying:

We have made a gas discovery and it’s a significant discovery; the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa for a very long time. It is the start of a very long journey; you recall we drilled Mukuyu-1 and Mukuyu-2, which are only seven kilometres apart.

We still have to cover an area of about 100 kilometres by 50 kilometres in extent. Because of the Invictus listing requirements, any material information that we come across, we are mandated to release it to the public. We hope this is the start of more positive news to come.

We are still drilling at Mukuyu-2. These results that we have just released are coming from a part of that, we still have another 400m to 500m of Mukuyu-2 to drill and we expect more positive results. You will recall, last year, the main failure for us to recover the fluid sample (from Mukuyu-2), which we have successfully recovered now, which is a precondition for you (to be allowed) to declare a discovery.

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In 2019, Invictus Energy entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Tatanga Energy to supply gas for a 500MW gas-to-power plant. The electricity generated by the plant will be sold to the national grid, as well as to various consumers in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia, including mines and industrial sectors. The supply term has been agreed upon for 20 years, and the plant will be built in two phases, with the first phase providing 150MW and the second phase adding 350MW.

Zimbabwe has been grappling with a severe electricity deficit, resulting in frequent power cuts that impact businesses and economic activities. With electricity demand peaking at around 2,200 megawatts (MW), the country is currently only able to generate half of its required power.

This gas discovery has been hailed as a game-changer for Zimbabwe, providing export opportunities and improving energy security. It also represents a significant development in the onshore oil and gas sector in Southern Africa. The Mukuyu exploration fields, where the discovery was made, are estimated to hold around 20 trillion cubic feet and 845 million barrels of conventional gas condensate. 

The company plans to continue exploration to assess the full extent of the gas deposits and potential oil reservoirs. In the meantime, Invictus Energy aims to start production at a small scale and gradually increase it over time. The company sees the gas-to-power plant as an early monetisation opportunity that can provide energy and revenue for the country while further exploration takes place.

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