Nqobile Bhebhe [email protected]
Government is exploring the use of the country’s energy-critical minerals to support electricity generation as it seeks to diversify the country’s power mix and provide more reliable energy for industry and communities.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development Simbanegavi told Parliament yesterday that the Government was researching the country’s mineral resources as part of a broader strategy to increase electricity output, alongside investments in solar and wind power.
“Even if we have solar energy in abundance as a country, as Government, we are saying we need to generate electricity from solar power.”
She said the Government was also assessing the potential of wind power and energy-critical minerals to identify additional sources that could contribute to national electricity generation.
“We are busy researching to ensure that we are able to find out how much electricity we can generate from wind. We are researching our minerals, like the energy-critical minerals that we can use to also increase electricity from what we have.”
Critical minerals are naturally occurring resources regarded as essential to modern economies because of their role in strategic technologies and the risk of supply disruptions.
They are key inputs in electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors, renewable energy technologies, artificial intelligence applications and other advanced industrial systems.
Zimbabwe has significant deposits of critical minerals, including lithium, platinum group metals, graphite, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements, positioning the country as a potential supplier to global value chains.
Deputy Minister Simbanegavi said the strategy was not limited to one source of generation, with authorities pursuing multiple options to raise national output.
“I want to promise that as Government, we are doing all within our capabilities to ramp up electricity from all facets of generation so that we increase output.”
The Government is also banking on existing and planned thermal generation capacity. Hwange Units 7 and 8 are currently operating at high levels, while plans are in place to construct Hwange Units 9 and 10.
“On Hwange 7 and 8, we are working to ensure that the generation continues so that our power stations continue working. They are operating at maximum, generating almost 98% of the electricity up to 780 megawatts per day. We are also expecting as a country to construct Hwange 9 and 10 stations so that we keep on increasing electricity generation.”
