Ashly DhaniBusiness Writer
INFRASTRUCTURE Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) has approved the proposed 5 Megawatts Gutu Solar Power Generation Plant.
According to IDBZ, the project will involve land preparation, civil works, installation of a 5MW solar power generation facility, construction of a 1km power transmission line, relaxed fixtures and construction of ancillary infrastructure.
The works will also entail connection of the proposed plant to the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) grid via a XY kV feeder line from AB to BC substation.
The land is currently zoned as a resettlement area and is owned by the State.
GRDC applied for a 25-year lease from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development (MoLAWFRD), and the lease application was approved on 6 October 2023.
GRDC has already commenced land clearing, construction of an access road, and boundary security fencing.
An open tender was launched, and a contract was awarded to SOWITEC Kenya Limited, in partnership with MAZEDECK Ventures (Pvt) Limited (Zimbabwe), in July 2022.
However an Engineering, Procurement, And Construction (EPC) contractor is to be procured for project implementation, expected to last 12 months.
According to IDBZ chief executive officer, Zondo Sakala: “The project development kicked off by signing of an MoU between the Gutu Rural District Council (GRDC) and the IDBZ in 2018.
“This was followed by the creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Chatsworth Energy (Private) Limited, which was registered in July 2020.”
Subsequently, a Framework Agreement (FMA) was reached in December 2020 for the development and construction of a 20MW Solar plant in Chatsworth.
However, due to the long distance (28km) between the proposed site at Chatsworth and the nearest substation, the project was relocated to land that is only 1km away from the existing Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) 33/11kV Substation.
Under the Framework Agreement, the IDBZ was to provide funding for the preparation and development of the project, while GRDC was to make leased land available for the project.
IDBZ through the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, secured funding from the French Development Agency, AFDB, to co-finance the Detailed Feasibility and ESIA Studies for the project.
Bongani Ndlovu