As Zimbabwe reels from rolling power cuts due to a crippling energy shortage, the mining industry, the mainstay of the country’s economy, will invest in solar energy, a Minister said.
“As the US$12 billion (mining industry growth vision) is unpacked, you will find that new power generation will come from mining companies establishing solar projects; by the year 2023 we will have over 600 megawatts (MW) of power from projects undertaken by the mining sector,”said Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitlando. He was speaking at a Mining Media Awards event in Harare, according to Newsday.
Zimbabwe’s mines, industry, and homes are going up to 18 hours a day without power.
The country’s electricity regulator today increased its average electricity tariff by 320% from 38.61 cents to 162.16 cents. The hike would pay for the repair of the generators operated by the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, and for energy imports from neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set a target for Zimbabwe’s mining industry to achieve a size of US$12 billion by 2023. Chitlando said the goal is “in the process of being achieved.” Without reliable power, the target appears to be lofty.
Gold is Zimbabwe’s single largest mineral export. The country is also the world’s third-largest platinum producer after South Africa and Russia. According to analysts, a fall in mining output could tip the country into a recession.
As indicated by Chitlando, solar energy could be a much-needed solution. According to Energypedia, Zimbabwe has enormous unexploited potential for the use of solar PV and solar water heaters.
Read the Newsday article HERE.
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