Govt moves to avert power shortages
GOVERNMENT through power utility Zesa Holdings will undertake a solar project rollout in the third quarter of 2022 as part of the Renewable Energy Policy implementation, Energy and Power Development Permanent Secretary Gloria Magombo has said. In an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent, Magombo said the planned rollout will culminate in the development of various solar projects across the country with a cumulative capacity of 500 megawatts (MW). Below are the excerpts of the interview between Magombo (GM) and our Business Reporter Freeman Makopa (FM).
FM: You recently announced that as part of a low carbon development strategy, Zesa will soon launch a 500MW solar project. How far have you gone and how will this provide a solution to the current power crisis?
GM: As part of the Low Emission Development Strategy, National Development Strategy (NDS1) and as part of implementing the Renewable Energy Policy, the ministry through Zesa will develop various solar projects across the country with a cumulative capacity of 500MW.
Zesa is identifying suitable sites countrywide and locations closer to a grid substation are being preferred. The utility is also working with Rural District Councils and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development to identify and acquire suitable land for the solar power projects.
Also a full technical assessment has been done on the various substations to evaluate the potential solar PV capacity which can be connected and also what upgrades will be necessary for some sites,
The ministry intends to develop these solar projects through a competitive bidding process that has been done successfully in other developing countries such as South Africa, Zambia, and Morocco, among others.
As such, the ministry is working with the World Bank and the African Development Bank to develop this competitive bidding framework.
The World Bank has developed a draft solar procurement roadmap while the AfDB is developing standard bankable documents such as the Power Purchase Agreement, the Government Implementation Agreement and others. Ministries, departments and other agencies are reviewing these documents before submitting them for formal adoption.
We expect the procurement of these solar projects, which will be done in phases, to begin in the third quarter of 2022 after all administrative approvals have been granted.
The 500MW solar project will have a huge impact on our power supply situation. It will assist the country in reducing importation of power during daytime and also diversify the country’s energy mix so that it is not vulnerable to climate change impacts such as low rainfall and reduced water levels that impacted on Kariba Hydropower Station.
FM: The country is facing power outages, what is the problem?
GM: The country has been experiencing load shedding due to a myriad of challenge affecting the electricity supply industry. Zimbabwe has a total installed capacity of 2382MW whose contribution is from ZPC and independent power producers.
Hwange Power Station which is a baseload plant by design, has a nameplate capacity of 920MW but currently achieving an average of 350MW. This poor performance is due to old age of the thermal power plant coupled with deferred maintenance.
The operation of all four thermal power plants in the country have become erratic and are subject to unplanned outages which have contributed to erratic power supply resulting in power deficits. The situation is compounded by the impact of climate change on the hydroelectric power schemes such as our large hydro power plant at Kariba with an installed capacity of 1050MW but is averaging 650MW at the moment.
The operation of Kariba Power Station is a mid-merit operation meant to peak up load during peak periods designed to operate on a dam storage water sustained by seasonal rainfall.
However, due to erratic hydrological pattern, the water allocation for the year 2021 and preceding seasons were inadequate to run Kariba at full load on a 24 hour basis, although it has been done under emergency conditions.
Furthermore, Kariba dam is undergoing rehabilitation works aimed at improving dam long-term safety which is very critical to the future of both Zimbabwe and Zambia’s power generation.
These works include the reshaping of the plunge pool to increase its energy dissipation capacity to prevent erosion of the dam foundations which requires curtailment of generation at Kariba South Power Station during specified periods to allow progression of rehabilitation works.
To cover for the local generation shortfalls, the country is also importing power from Mozambique and South Africa, about 450MW of non-firm capacity due to limited power availability from the region.
The total maximum available capacity is averaging 1350MW against a maximum demand forecast of 1650MW.
Efforts are underway to improve generation at Hwange Power Station where Unit 1 whose boilers were affected by fire, is undergoing repairs which are estimated for completion in the beginning of second quarter 2022. The rest of the units are made available for generation save for short term outages.
New capacity of 50MW by IPPs is in the process of testing and set for commissioning by January 2022. Further, arrangements for increased firm capacity have been made from regional utilities and are immediately available to Zimbabwe once all modalities to access the power are put in place.
In the meantime, the country is also undertaking construction of a number of power generation projects through ZPC and IPPs, especially solar projects earmarked for commissioning during the course of the year 2022.
The projects include Hwange 7 and 8 expansion which is over 76% complete and will add 600MW towards the end of 2022.
Furthermore, Hwange units 1 to 6 will soon undergo rehabilitation and life extension through a government-to-government supported line of credit secured from India which will raise dependable capacity to about 700MW, close to nameplate capacity.
It is important for consumers to also play a critical role in reducing the energy deficit by using electricity efficiently.
Simple acts of switching off equipment not in use, in empty rooms and offices before going home will assist in saving energy and creation of a virtual power plant.
The ministry is developing an energy efficiency policy and a strategy that will assist all consumer groups to reduce energy consumption by 10-20% in industry, mines and agriculture.
Also regulations for efficient lighting systems are assisting in ensuring the market has LED lights which consume about 10% of energy as compared to incandescent lights. Consumers should use solar water geysers and geyser timer switches to reduce energy consumption in homes.
We also encourage those with capacity to switch to solar PV systems roof tops and ground mounted systems to complement the utility supplies.
As prosumers (producers and consumers) there is provision for net metering which has added over 3MW to the grid. With all playing our roles, load shedding will be minimised or totally eliminated.
FM: Are you happy with the budget allocation to the energy sector and if not, how much will you require?
GM: The ministry received a total budget allocation of ZW$3,5 billion in the 2022 national budget. Out of the availed budget, 68% was allocated to capital grants for the ministry’s parastatals, 20% was allocated to use of goods and services, 10% to acquisition of non-financial assets and 2% to compensation of employees.
The budget allocated will go a long way towards implementing NDS1 objectives and programmes of increasing generation capacity, increasing access to modern energy through rural electrification.
The ministry is currently operating with an aged fleet and maintenance costs are very high to keep these vehicles on the road. An addition of funds for the ministry will be greatly appreciated.
The current year saw a marked improvement in budgetary provisions that increased significantly followed by budgetary releases towards programmes. The 2022 budget is expected to improve on the current situation to ensure programmes are fully implemented through timeous releases of funds.
FM: When do you expect the Batoka project to be completed and how is it going to help in curbing the power crisis in Zimbabwe?
GM: The Batoka Hydro Electric Scheme is a Build Operate and Transfer project being developed jointly by Zimbabwe and Zambia. It will add 1 200MW on either side of the border.
The project was awarded to a developer in 2019 following a major decision by the two contracting states to achieve early delivery of the project. The multi-billion dollar project is currently at the development stage with pre-construction activities being finalised.
Construction is anticipated to take up to six years to complete before contributing to the national grid. Further updates will be given in due course on progress achieved.
FM: Calls have been made for African countries to abandon coal to mitigate climate change. Do you think Zimbabwe is ready for that change?
GM: Indeed Zimbabwe and other African countries have abundant coal and petroleum reserves.
It has always been our wish to develop the energy sector using all the resources (coal, hydro, gas and other renewables) that we have.
The transition to cleaner energy will always consider respective capabilities and national circumstances. We are pleased that at COP26, countries agreed to “Phase down” not “Phase out” coal in the short-to-medium term.
This gives us time to come up with a decarbonisation strategy in the long term. We believe that in a time frame of up to 30 years, we may significantly move to cleaner and sustainable energy technologies largely based on hydropower, solar, wind and others.
In the meantime, we believe that developed countries should assist developing countries through ‘loss and damage’ or other financial packages as we decarbonise our economies.
Zimbabwe is building new coal plants and these are using cleaner technologies with mechanisms to reduce emissions.
Also with continued research and development we are seeing a lot of new inventions that can use carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides (NOx gases) as inputs for fertiliser production plants.
Zimbabwe will continue to prioritise the implementation of the renewable energy policy and the launch of the competitive procurement of new plants will accelerate the increase of renewables into the energy mix.
The Zambezi basin presents a lot of potential with multiple gorges being prioritised for development including Batoka, Devils Gorge, Mupata among others.
Other new energy sources include solar PV, wind and green hydrogen.
The energy sector is in transition and new forms of energy are being introduced and Zimbabwe is ready to embrace this change and the ministry will work closely with our innovation hubs!
