Solar farms for Zim’s international airports

Tanyaradzwa Rusike

THE Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) has completed a grid assessment for its proposed solar farms, with procurement for environmental impact assessment consultancy now on course.

The solar farms, which will be established at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (RGMIA), Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport and Victoria Falls International Airport, will have a capacity of 5 megawatts (MW), 3MW and 3MW, respectively.

They will supply renewable energy for airport operations and feed excess power into the national grid, bolstering the country’s energy sustainability.

These efforts align with the Government’s strategy of adopting renewable energy solutions, particularly in response to the anticipated rise in power demand, driven by economic growth initiatives under the Second Republic.

ACZ public relations and communications manager Mr Tonderai Mangombe said the solar farms remain among the key priority projects to be implemented to embrace environmentally friendly energy sources.

“To date, a grid impact assessment for the projects has been done,” he said.

“Procurement for the environmental impact assessment consultancy services has also been initiated.

“Special purpose vehicles for the solar farm projects are being pursued.”

Mr Mangombe said the expansion of aviation activities throughout Africa had driven the need for infrastructure improvements locally.

“ACZ plans to enhance infrastructure across all existing airports,” he said.

“This includes refurbishing terminal buildings and maintaining runways, taxiways, aprons (designated areas where aircraft are parked, loaded/unloaded, refuelled and serviced), fire stations and ICT (information and communication technology) and security systems to ensure compliance with both local and international civil aviation organisation standards.

“Additionally, ACZ will focus on medium-to-long-term projects, specifically the Charles Prince Airport expansion project and the Mutare Airport project.”

He said modernisation of RGMIA
had boosted passenger capacity and forged more business deals with other airlines.

“The Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport project’s scope encompassed not only the modernisation of infrastructure and systems, but also a substantial expansion of the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 2 million to 6,5 million,” he said.

“This strategic growth enables wide-bodied aircraft operations, fostering new business opportunities.

“Concurrent with these developments, modern business systems and solutions are being deployed to optimise operational efficiency. Airlines’ turnaround time has significantly improved as a result.”

Mr Mangombe said plans to revive Harare-London direct flights were still on, with discussions with various airlines in progress.

“ACZ has been diligently collaborating with tourism stakeholders on route development initiatives,” he said.

“To incentivise airlines, discount packages were designed for airlines intending to launch new services for London-Harare in particular.

“Currently, the business development team is in discussions with various airlines regarding the establishment of this highly anticipated route.

“Recently, ACZ attended AviaDev Africa, an event that connects airlines interested in African markets with African destinations, where they engaged with several airlines.”

Mr Mangombe said master plans will be developed to enhance the country’s main airports to enhance their capacity for handling and transporting goods.

“ACZ is currently in the process of tendering for a consultant to develop master plans for the main airports, Victoria Falls included,” he said.

“These plans consist of land-use plans, which will serve as blueprints for the development of landside facilities such as hotels and landside cargo facilities.”