The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has approved a 90 MW solar PV project to come up in its Chiredzi region for an investment of $88.1 million, as per a report in the local newspaper The Herald. The generation license was granted by the agency to a local consortium Triangle Solar System (TSS).
The consortium is led by businessman Paradzai Chakona and will be in charge of developing and constructing the PV plant in 2 phases of 45 MW each. It will be developed on 241 hectares of land at Ngundu-Tanganda road. TSS plans to start construction in September or October 2020 and commission the capacity in H1/2021, the paper reported. TSS has identified a South African EPC contractor to work on the project.
The consortium will be looking at constructing more solar PV projects in the country after the completion of the 90 MW plant.
Zimbabwe is facing a power shortage due to lack of enough power generation and is forced to import electricity from neighbours. Hence the government is happily supporting the development of solar PV to become self-sufficient in energy generation.
In May 2020, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission & Distribution Company called for bids for 500 MW PV capacity to be developed across the country. In September 2019, ZERA was said to have processed 39 solar PV plants with 1.15 GW capacity.