Online Reporter
Zimbabwe’s drive toward energy security and economic transformation is set to receive a significant boost with GreenGrid Kariba Solar Park (Private) Limited’s development of the 600MW Kariba Solar Park. The company has been granted a Generation Licence by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority, marking the most significant milestone yet for what is set to become one of the largest solar energy projects in Africa. The Herald sat down with GreenGrid Kariba Solar Park Director Mr David Fussell to discuss the milestones, the project’s progress, and what comes next.
Q: Let’s start with the good news. You’ve now been granted your generation licence. What progress has been made to get to this point and what does this milestone mean for the project?
A: This is a landmark moment for the project. The issuance of the generation licence marks one of the final development milestones and the culmination of nearly three years of work. All required surveys, permits, licences and technical studies are now complete including geotechnical, hydrological and topographical surveys, environmental permits, investment licences, the feasibility study, and the critical grid integration studies for the full 600MW over separate phases. We have also signed our key contracts, including the power purchase agreement, transmission connection agreement, and the long-term lease for the site. Cabinet has formally approved the project, and ZERA has now reviewed all our documentation and issued the generation licence in confirmation. The licence is a key requirement of our private investors and one of the final milestones as we now move from development into implementation.
Q: Over the years there have been many ambitious projects touted in Zimbabwe that have never come to fruition. What assurances can you give that this one is different?
A: That’s a fair question, and one we’re happy to answer directly. Our confidence starts with the track record of our promoters, the Rautenbach family. The family has a long history of operating large-scale infrastructure projects, rather than simply proposing them. Green Fuel is a good example, it’s one of Africa’s leading ethanol producers, and under the current blending mandate makes up roughly 20% of every litre of petrol sold in Zimbabwe. That’s the kind of national-scale energy project our promoters have a history of actually delivering, not just announcing.
In addition to that, the level of Government engagement on this project speaks for itself. In 2024, the President established an Inter-ministerial Committee dedicated to this project to see it through from concept to implementation. The committee is chaired by Honourable Dr. Masuka who was Minister of Lands then and is now Minister of Agriculture, the other committee members are the Minister of Energy, Minister of Mashonaland West and Minister of Environment.
So when you look at it together — the promoter, the relevant Government ministries, and the utility — every party at the table has a genuine, vested interest in seeing this project succeed.
Q: There’s been a great deal of interest in Kariba as a hub for solar energy development, with more than one project associated with the area. How does GreenGrid Kariba Solar Park distinguish itself from other Kariba-linked projects?
A: You will not have heard much about our project as we have deliberately avoided the press until now. We wanted to wait until we were confident in getting the project over the line into the implementation phase. The Generation Licence issuance is a major boost to that confidence.
I can’t speak to the progress of other projects, that’s for those developers to share what has actually been achieved, but as you have heard, we are now at a very advanced stage and about to transition to implementation on Phase One of the project which is 150MW. We are deploying land-based as well as floating solar.
A key reason for the interest in Kariba as a solar location is the opportunity to optimise underutilised transmission infrastructure. Getting connected to the grid is often the biggest obstacle for a large project like this. We are glad to have secured that connection through a signed 600MW transmission connection agreement after working with ZESA for many months on the necessary grid studies.
Another differentiator is that we’re selling all 600MW to ZESA which in effect is future proofing their business. ZESA is currently losing a share of its customer base to captive power plants, as businesses and homes go off-grid but not every business, farm or Zimbabwean can afford to build their own power plant.
We will be giving ZESA new, clean energy at scale to help stop that demand shift. That’s good for ZESA, and good for Zimbabwe.
Q: You have mentioned the transmission lines, but tell us more about the site itself. Why Kariba?
A: That really is a key question, why Kariba? Our site is strategically positioned near Kariba South Power Station, covering both land and water, which lets us build both the floating and land-based solar. Underutilised transmission infrastructure is one reason Kariba is such a unique location for a project of this scale in Zimbabwe, but it’s not the only one.
Another major factor is that solar and hydro work well together. Solar generates during the day, which frees up the hydro station to hold back water and release it earlier or later in the day, when demand peaks. The Hydro will also smooth out the natural ups and downs of solar output, and being located so close to the power station gives our plant technical benefits, which helps keep the grid stable. In effect, this allows Kariba to work more like a giant battery.
Kariba, as we all know, is highly exposed to climate variability, which has a direct impact on the economy. Our project will help build climate resilience by diversifying Kariba’s output, adding daytime generation that doesn’t depend on water, reducing exposure to drought-driven swings in hydro supply, and supporting more reliable power for the country.
Q: You’ve spoken about Lake Kariba being enhanced as a giant battery. Can you explain what that means in practice?
A: In short, it’s about optimising the use of the lake. GreenGrid Kariba Solar Park produces energy during sunlight hours, which allows Kariba Hydro to conserve water rather than dispatch it during those hours. This is effectively charging the giant battery. Then Kariba will release that stored water to generate power during the peak demand periods which are early morning and evening when the country is most short of power. These peak demand periods also command a higher tariff for ZESA which is another key positive for them.
Q: What are the wider environmental and community benefits?
A: The project will provide clean power for over 3 million people and carries substantial environmental benefits too, including the avoidance of an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually compared to coal generation. Over 80 percent of the leased site will be managed as protected conservation buffer zones, supporting wildlife and eco-tourism. Alongside Zambia’s ongoing development of a similar large solar project at Kariba, we expect reduced pressure on the lake’s water resource and improved lake levels over time, a significant benefit for Kariba District, whose economy depends heavily on fishing and tourism. This project represents several hundred million dollars of investment, the largest in the district since the Kariba Dam itself, and is expected to create several hundred to over 1 000 direct jobs, with a strong focus on local hiring and skills transfer. We’ve also launched our first community initiative ahead of a broader effort covering conservation, education, healthcare, clean water, reforestation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.
Q: What’s next for the project?
A: We are working with Government on the Government Project Support Agreement which is a framework agreement offered to power producers to facilitate and de-risk projects. In the meantime, we are finalising discussions with our investors, contractors and suppliers in anticipation of mobilising on site and breaking ground in the next couple of months.
Q: And finally, how does this project fit into Zimbabwe’s broader energy strategy?
A: Zimbabwe’s electricity demand continues to outpace supply, and much of the existing generation infrastructure is decades old, under pressure from maintenance challenges and climate variability. The resultant energy shortfall is made up through expensive power imports. The 600MW Kariba Solar Park introduces significant new clean generation capacity into the national grid as a direct substitute for power imports and in support of Government’s Vision 2030. It’s also a very effective play in that it optimises one of Zimbabwe’s most important energy assets in Kariba whilst also enhancing its climate resilience. And as mentioned, selling the project’s energy to ZESA matters just as much, it gives the utility scalable, clean supply to meet surging demand and protect its market share.
But really, this is more than a power station, it’s strategic infrastructure. It strengthens grid reliability, eases pressure on public finances from emergency power imports, and positions Zimbabwe as a regional renewable energy leader within the Southern African Power Pool.
As the country accelerates its transition to diversified, resilient generation, the Kariba Solar Park stands as one of the most ambitious renewable energy undertakings in Zimbabwe’s history in what will be a major step toward energy security and economic transformation for our country.
