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Middle Sabi farmers in Chipinge have the potential to mitigate the current power shortages in Manicaland currently bedevilling the entire country only if Government was to intervene the stalemate between them, ZINWA and ZESA which has deferred a partnership with Green Fuel that will lead to thermoelectric power generation, Middle Sabi Farmers’ Association chairman Mr Martin Munodawafa has said.
The acute power shortages currently affecting the entire country have led to serious economic stagnation which has forced some industries to either operate at very low capacity or shut down operations leading to unnecessary job losses. Power generation at Kariba South Power Station has dropped to 600MW due to low water levels with the Hwange project still in progress.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Mr Munodawafa said Government should support investment in alternative sources of energy like ethanol for power generation.
“Zimbabwe is now plunged into darkness and yet our project to generate electricity with Green Fuel if we were to grow sugarcane on our 6000 hectares is being blocked by ZESA which still maintains exorbitant electricity charges which are deterring our investor.”
“Green Fuel’s partnership with Middle Sabi farmers if ZESA and water tariffs are reduced will have Manicaland having another ethanol plant in Middle Sabi which will generate electricity feeding into the national grid, creating employment and spurring economic growth in the province”, he said.
He said Green Fuel approached them with a partnership proposal to contract Middle Sabi farmers into producing sugarcane on their 6 000 hectares of land but have stalled the project due to high charges by ZINWA and ZESA which is charging 12 cents per kilowatt against a regional average of 5 cents per kilowatt.
“We have 6 000 hectares of land just waiting for the green light from our partner Green Fuel to produce sugarcane.
“You can imagine if ethanol was to be seriously considered as a major source of electricity in this country. We cannot afford to have an electricity deficit as a nation considering the vast land to cultivate it especially here in Region 5 where conditions are conducive for sugarcane planting”, said Mr Munodawafa.
He applauded Government for providing A1 farmers in the region with farm inputs a few weeks ago and pleaded for subsidised electricity charges.
Last week Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said Government was considering incentives for players who invest in renewable energy sources to circumvent the current power crisis and called for innovation. This came at a time when Government introduced the water heating programme which was aimed at phasing out the use of electric geysers replacing them with solar geysers.
Ethanol from sugarcane is considered one of the most efficient biofuels in terms of energy balance and carbon emissions.
In 2009, Brazil’s federal energy company, Petrobas and General Electric (GE), celebrated the world’s first use of sugarcane-based ethanol in a gas turbine system to produce electricity on a full commercial scale.
The 87-megawatt plant is now using sugarcane-derived ethanol to produce power enough to meet electricity needs of around 150 000 people in the small town of Juiz de Fora.
Online Reporter