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Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has approved the implementation of a proposed 50 megawatt solar farm joint venture between Bulawayo City Council (BCC) and Williams Engineering at Ncema Dam in Esigodini.
The power plant will create 200 jobs during construction and 40 jobs during its operation and also provide dedicated power to Bulawayo industries in the designated Special Economic Zones.
The plant will also provide an alternative revenue stream for the local authority.
Electricity to be generated from the project is expected to address the perennial power challenges at the Bulawayo water pumping station. It will also provide power to the city’s critical installations thereby reducing the local authority’s power bill.
In January this year, BCC resolved to enter into a partnership with Williams Engineering for the establishment of a 50MW solar farm at Ncema Dam area.
In her post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the partnership involves a Build-Operate-Own-and-Transfer arrangement over a concession period.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Partnership between Bulawayo City Council and Williams Engineering which will establish a 50 mega-watt photovoltaic (solar) power plant at Ncema Dam. The plant will provide dedicated power to Bulawayo industries in the designated Special Economic Zones and will provide an alternative revenue stream for Bulawayo City Council,” she said.
“The power plant will create 200 jobs during construction and 40 jobs during its operation.”
Zimbabwe is presently facing acute power shortages which have seen consumers going for long hours, outside the normal load-shedding periods, without electricity.
BCC said once the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) restores power to the affected plants and stations, raw water abstraction at Inyankuni, water treatment at Ncema and pumping at both Ncema and Fernhill will resume.
The local authority said it was forced to suspend water provision to the rest of the city to prevent its system from collapsing.
Through the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera), Government has licensed more than 100 independent power producers to generate clean energy such as gas, solar and hydro-electricity.
This is also in keeping with the global trends on the need to curb pollution and global warming through investment in environmental friendly power projects.
However, a few small projects are operational and only producing little at a time the country is experiencing a serious electricity deficit.
The service gap has resulted in continued power cuts, which industry leaders partly blame for frustrating production amid costly imports from regional producers, which drain scarce forex resources from the economy.
Turing to Zimbabwe’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Minister Mutsvangwa said the country’s cumulative cases since the outbreak of the disease in 2020 stands at 259 559, with 253 487 recoveries and 5 625 cumulative deaths. The recovery rate is 98 percent, with 447 active cases.
“Regarding the national vaccination programme, Cabinet wishes to inform the nation that a total of 6 578 742 first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered, while 4 946 829 people have received their second dose, and 1 267 483 their third dose,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
“Cabinet wishes to encourage the nation to continue wearing face masks in enclosed public places. This measure is being implemented to safeguard citizens from contracting Covid-19 virus as the country is not completely out of the woods.” – @thamamoe.
Online Reporter