Andrew
Online Reporter
ZESA Holdings executive chairperson Dr Sydney Gata says solar power will play an integral role in generating electricity needed to meet the demands of a growing economy.
He was speaking at the Zimbabwe-Dubai Business Conference in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, where he was presenting on opportunities for investment in SADC.
He told investors that the door for independent power producers is wide open.
“Solar power will take a more significant role in Zimbabwe going into the future. The most significant contribution will come from grid scale solar projects which we see contributing about 700MW in the next two to three years,” said Dr Gata.
“As part of our total electrification thrust to support the country’s Vision 2030, we are also looking to deploy off-grid solar systems to support development in sites that are remote to the grid whilst we expand the network.”
He invited manufacturing companies to set up manufacturing plants for solar panels.
“Globally, it is well accepted that governments alone have no capacity, among multiple competing requirements, to fund the electricity sector to the extent required.
“Independent power producers are already playing a significant role in the sub region, with Zimbabwe having licensed 94 such IPP companies. There is, therefore, a business case for the global community to consider exploiting the vast opportunities available in Southern Africa in the power supply industry,” he said.
Online Reporter