Page 16 - AfrElec Week 18 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

China Gezhouba Group explains juwi. IMPORTS
The storage system to be installed by juwi
commissioned to build will be capable of accumulating 7.5 MW Zimbabwe’s energy import
of electricity. The installation will enable
the 600MW Chollet Centamin to reduce its mine’s electricity bills, debt rise to $97m
as the operator will be partially shifting away
hydroelectric dam from oil, which is often volatile in price. This ZESA’s debt to Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa
will reduce the mine’s diesel consumption by
(HCB) rose to $97mn last year, up from just
Chinese construction and engineering 22mn litres per year. The hybrid solar power over $45mn in 2019, the Mozambican power
company China Gezhouba Group has been plant will also avoid 60,000 tonnes of CO2 supplier HCB says.
commissioned to carry out the studies, emissions annually. Zimbabwe was the second largest debtor
construction of the 600MW Chollet “The mining industry accounts for to HCB in 2020, after EDM, Mozambique’s
hydroelectric dam, and operate it under a 10% of the world’s energy consumption power utility, according to HCB’s financial
BOD (Build Operate and Transfer) contract. and many minerals play a key role in statements for 2020. HCB operates the Cabora
The choice was revealed in the official release the energy transition. We are pleased to Bassa Dam on the Zambezi River, a major
published to announce the results of the support the resource industry on the path to power supplier to the region.
restricted international tender issued on decarbonisation with our reliable solar, wind Zesa imports part of its power from
December 19, 2019, in the framework of that and battery solutions,” says Stephan Hansen, a Mozambique to make up for low electricity
project thanks to which electricity supply will juwi board member. generation at its ageing plants in Zimbabwe.
be boosted in Cameroon and Congo, the two In recent years, many mining companies While power supply improved last
project countries. operating in Africa have embraced solar year from the energy crisis of 2019, the
Chollet dam is a major integrating project power to reduce their electricity bills and the country imported at least 30% of its power
in the CEMAC region. It will be built on environmental impact of their operations. In requirements, according to the Zimbabwe
the Dja river that borders the two project Mali, for example, the Canadian company Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera).
countries. According to initial estimates, B2Gold has installed a 30 MW hybrid solar The country’s power demand stands
this energy infrastructure will cost between power plant at its Fekola gold mine. The plant at between 1 400 megawatts (MW) and 1
XAF354 and 670bn, depending on the was built by the German companies BayWa r. 500MW, but Zesa mostly generated less than
development option implemented by the e. and Suntrace. 900MW last year. Output as at Wednesday
builder. was 1 317MW.
Apart from the dam, the project also
includes the construction of two power
transmission lines to Congo and Cameroon.
The energy generated by the dam will supply
the project countries but also neighboring
countries like the Central African Republic
and Gabon.

SOL AR
juwi wins Egyptian solar

contract

juwi Renewable Energies has been awarded
the contract to build a solar photovoltaic
power plant to supply the Sukari gold mine
in the Red Sea governorate of Egypt. This
open pit and underground mine is operated
by Centamin plc, a Jersey-based company,
an autonomous dependency of the British
Crown.
The solar photovoltaic plant will have a
capacity of 36 MW. juwi decided to install
its Hybrid IQ system of two-sided solar
panels and a single-axis tracking device,
taking advantage of the high irradiation
of the Nubian desert. “The Juwi Hybrid
IQ microgrid technology will allow the
integration of the solar system and batteries
into the existing grid. It will support the
operation of the existing power plant,”

P16 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 18 06•May•2021