The Sunday Mail
Priscilla Kamurira
About 4 026,4MWh is expected to be added into the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) main grid within three months from a recently licenced solar power plant, an official has said.
This comes after the country has faced crippling power cuts, with industry and households going for more than 18 hours a day without electricity.
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) acting chief executive officer, Mr Eddington Mazambani, said they are expecting more megawatts to be added into the national grid within the next three months so as to help reduce the amount of hours households and the industry spend without electricity.
“At the moment, one solar power plant is adding 2,5MW into the national grid. We are expecting an additional 4 026,4MWh to be added from solar projects within the next three months,” Mr Mazambani said.
Zera, on the other hand, is working on licensing solar plants, so as to alleviate the power challenges facing the nation.
“We have licenced 41 solar projects and they have an estimated total capacity of 1 284,57 MW.
“Three licenced solar power plants are now at an operational stage with a total capacity of 4,33MW and two from these three are operating for own consumption.
“The 38 licenced solar power plants are not yet operational with a total capacity of 1 280,24 MW,” Mr Mazambani said.
Zimbabwe, with some of the best weather in the region, could increase its power generation and reduce load-shedding as well as conserve foreign currency used in importing power.
Some of the solar projects being implemented in the country are the 22MW Harava Solar farm in Seke District and the Mutepfe Solar project (8KW).
Mr Mazambani said Zera is encouraging industries, shops, schools and households to invest in rooftop solar power systems so that they can be energy secure while increasing access to modern energy through banking excess power into the grid.
The Government recently waivered duty on imported solar equipment.
