Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe
Zimpapers Business Hub
The Government has lined up an ambitious portfolio of electricity generation projects under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2), targeting more than a doubling of national power output capacity from 2 950MW to 6 000MW.
Adequate production capacity to meet domestic demand is crucial as the country accelerates its march towards Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle-income society.
NDS 2, Zimbabwe’s second five-year development plan launched last week, seeks to transform the economy into “a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society”, with a reliable energy supply identified as a core enabler of industrialisation, digitalisation and broad-based growth.
Electricity is considered the backbone of modern economic development, underpinning manufacturing productivity, public service delivery, mining operations, rural industrialisation, e-mobility, irrigation agriculture and digital connectivity.
Energy experts say that without a stable and affordable power supply, the targets of Vision 2030 cannot be fully realised.
To support this transformation, the 2026 National Budget indicates that strategic investment mobilisation totalling over US$9 billion is envisioned for the 2025–2030 period, with approximately US$4.4 billion expected from the private sector, complemented by public funding and development partner support.
The Government has, during 2025, rolled out a range of policy instruments to guide energy planning, including the Zimbabwe National Energy Compact, the National Electrification Strategy, the E-Mobility Framework, the Energy Efficiency Policy and the National Integrated Energy Resource Plan (NIERP).
Collectively, these provide the backbone for energy security, diversification, low-carbon transition and improved efficiency.
Public-private partnerships will be strengthened, particularly those that allow large-scale industrial users to import power directly from the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), easing pressure on the national grid.
