Page 13 - AfrElec Week 30 2021

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“Electricity tariff reforms with the service- SOL AR built by Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a
based tariff have increased collections from subsidiary of the Zimbabwean group Econet
the electricity sector by 63 percent, increasing Old Mutual turns to solar in Global, at a cost of $2mn.
revenue assurance for gas producers and
stabilising the value chain. Zimbabwe
He said the current administration had
continued to invest in expanding generation Faced with load shedding in Zimbabwe, many HYDRO
to cater to its current and future needs. companies are turning to self-consumption.
He disclosed that the Okpai PH II plant, This is the case of Old Mutual Life Emerging Africa
the Afam III fast power plant, the Zungeru Assurance Company Zimbabwe, the
hydro plant, and the Mabilla hydro plant subsidiary of the Old Mutual insurance Infrastructure Fund lends
would add more than 1000 MW in both gas company based in Cape Town, South Africa.
and renewable segments to the country’s The insurance company wants to equip its €25mn to Cote d’Ivoire HPP
generation capacity. Emerald Hill headquarters in Harare with a
648 kWp solar power plant. The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund
Old Mutual has already submitted the (EAIF), owned by the Private Infrastructure
project for approval to the state regulatory Development Group (PIDG), is lending
POLICY authority, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory €25-million over 18 years to Ivoire Hydro
Authority (ZERA). The insurance company Energy (IHE), which will build a 44 MW
Zimbabwe: Zesa Plans wants to sell its surplus production to hydroelectric plant on the Bandama river near
the state-owned Zimbabwe Electricity
the village of Singrobo, in Côte d’Ivoire.
to Generate Affordable Transmission and Distribution Company is expected in the third quarter of this year.
Financial close on the €174-million project
(ZETDC).
Electricity km transmission line to connect the solar Construction will take about 36 months.
This will require the construction of a 2.4
A long-term power purchase agreement
Zesa Holdings is developing a national plant to the 33/11 kV Dorset substation. The will see all of the energy produced by the
network masterplan that seeks, among other company also has the option of building Singrobo plant sold to Compagnie Ivoirienne
key targets, to identify the most viable least- a 10km line to the 132/33/11kV Pomona d’Electricité, the operator of Côte d’Ivoire’s
cost generation projects for development to substation. Like Old Mutual, many companies national grid.
secure national power supply. are opting for self-consumption solar to meet “The new facility being built at Singrobo is
The country is targeting a number of their electricity needs in Zimbabwe. the country’s first hydroelectric development
projects, including through public-private Total Zimbabwe, the subsidiary of the by an independent power producer.
partnerships (PPPs) and independent power French oil company Total Energies, has The project has seen the EAIF and the
producers (IPPs) to become energy self- decided to solarise 50% of its service stations PIDG deliver on three core objectives
sufficient and a net exporter. in the coming years. This initiative has a – mobilising private capital, enabling
Energy and Power Development triple objective, to reduce the dependence of economic development and contributing
Permanent Secretary Dr Gloria Magombo its facilities on the ZETDC grid, to limit the to increasing Africa’s stock of renewable
said that the objective was to identify power use of diesel generators, and to reduce the energy infrastructure,” says EAIF investment
projects that can supply cheaper electricity carbon footprint of the service stations. Since management company Ninety One
across energy sources. November 2019, soft drink manufacturer investment director Paromita Chatterjee.
She said Zesa was working with an Schweppes Africa Holdings has had a solar The project site is located on the Bandama
international consultant to craft the network power plant to power its factory in the capital river, 23 km downstream of the existing Taabo
masterplan. Harare. The plant, which consists of 2,446 dam and upstream of the confluence of the
“Zesa is developing a national network solar panels and has a capacity of 1 MW, was Nzi river.
masterplan that looks at least-cost generation
projects that we have. The exercise will look at
all the options that we have as a country,” Dr
Magombo said.
The masterplan is expected to address
issues around climate change, renewable
energy and targets towards fulfilling
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Zesa is expected to complete drafting
the network blueprint by year-end, which
will be followed by strategies to implement
recommendations and or proposals in the
masterplan.
“The idea is to identify projects with the
least cost so that consumers can afford the
electricity.”
The exercise will consider both fossil fuels
(coal and methane gas) and renewable energy.

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