Chinese firms to build 3 solar power stations in Zimbabwe
As world leaders gathered in Paris trying to reach a deal aimed at cutting global carbon emissions, the trend of developing clean energy has been introduced into Africa, a continent that is yet to industrialize and has huge energy gaps.
In Zimbabwe, Chinese companies are leading the trend. In October, three Chinese companies won contracts to build Zimbabwe’s first large-scale solar power stations.
The solar power stations are expected to feed 300 megawatts (MW) electricity to the strained national grid currently struggling at less than 1,000 MW against peak demand of 2,200 MW.
According to Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), the three stations would be located in three provinces of the country, with their contractors and costs being Chint Group, 202 million U.S. dollars, China No.17 Metallurgical Construction Ltd., 163 million dollars and ZTE, 197 million dollars respectively.
Experts said that the clean and renewable solar energy will augment supplies from the aged Hwange Thermal Power Station which is constantly breaking down and the Kariba Hydro Power Station which is currently suffering from low water levels casued by drought.
A spokesperson for ZPC’s parent company ZESA Holdings said that “Solar power plants are quicker to construct and are quite suitable for phased construction. As the technology matures, prices are expected to further drop so that it can come at an affordable tariff.”
Africa’s energy deficit and sunny climate offer favorable conditions for the growth of solar power industry, while China has advanced technology in this area.
Mr Fatima Denton, director of the special initiatives division in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), told African delegates at a regional climate change conference that Africa had become increasingly vulnerable to climate change and there was need for the continent to ensure energy security through accelerated investment in renewable energy.
Mr Denton suggested Chinese companies to invest in developing renewable energy in Africa. Africa has abundant renewable energy sources such as hydro power, geothermal, biomass, solar and wind energy, but it has not yet exploited them due to lack of funding.
Zimbabwe’s neighbours Zambia and South Africa are also moving towards solar energy development. Zambia expects to triple power output to 6,000 MW in two years through expansion of solar energy projects by foreign investors.
Source : The Zimbabwe Mail