admincompanies are set to lose their jobs due to the current severe load-shedding schedule that has unpleasantly disrupted production cycles in industries.
The severe load-shedding regime has not only impacted negatively on industries but on other sectors of the economy thus painting a bleak energy supply situation to potential investors.
It is against this backdrop that the Minister of Energy and Power Development and other energy authorities should immediately generate actionable short term power saving and power generation plans to cushion the people from this deleterious energy crisis.
Certain developments in our country point to a sizeable number of opportunities that could effectively be explored to ameliorate the current power shortages. It is unfortunate that the minister responsible, Elton Mangoma, has chosen to be vituperative towards some potential independent power producers like those at the Chisumbanje Ethanol plant.
While he remains engrossed on unproductive arguments over the Chisumbanje Ethanol plant, it has completely evaded his attention that the plant has to some extent the potential to extricate us from the current power crisis. It is worth noting that in other countries like Mauritius, such plants have been turned into viable electricity generation locations which not only supplies power for the plants’ needs but also for onward transmission to the national grid.
Provided money is available, these power generation plants could be established over a short period of about eight to 24 months, making them an ideal short term intervention to deal with the biting power shortage challenges we are currently facing.
In essence, the Government should simply come up with measures that support the establishment of power generation plants by independent players. Among other measures, Government could introduce a waiver of duty on all imported plant equipment and the removal of tax obligations on the generated electricity.
Currently the Chisumbanje ethanol plant is reportedly generating electricity enough to power its operations and some surplus that could be absorbed into the national grid. So, instead of spiting expletives at the ethanol company, Minister Mangoma should sweet talk authorities at the company to find ways in which the plant could be expanded so as to establish a bigger power generation plant that would substantially feed into the national grid.
On another note, reports that ESSAR Holdings has struck a deal to lease Zesa’s Munyati power station is also welcome news in the face of our power challenges.
To those with foresight, the deal provides an opportunity for government to negotiate with this capital laden company for the expansion of the power plant’s capacity on a Build, Operate and Transfer basis. Such an avenue will provide feasible short term solutions to our electricity crisis.
Other short term electricity generation measures that could be explored include the use of solar power. We should be grateful that our country has been endowed with plenty of sunshine. It is estimated that on average Zimbabwe receives 325 days of sunlight every year.
Solar experts argue that this translates to 2000 kW.h of electricity per square metre per year and has the potential to give adequate electricity to any location in the country. Major impediments to any solar ventures rotate around the acquisition of solar equipment. But these could be surmounted if government puts in place incentives that would make the equipment accessible and affordable.
Equipment earmarked for rural areas could be subsidised while the rest would be exempted from duty.
- Tendai Moyo is a researcher and social commentator
Online Reporter