INTENSIVE Energy Users Group (IEUG) chairperson Eddie Cross says private players are driving over 16 000 megawatts (MW) worth of power generation projects to help bridge Zimbabwe’s widening electricity supply gap.
This comes as the country’s power utility firm, Zesa Holdings, has capital requirements of US$2 billion, which is limiting its ability to provide steady power.
Independent power producers (IPPs), primarily from the mining and industrial sectors, are investing in solar, coal and hydroelectric projects to secure consistent power amid persistent blackouts and rising tariffs.
The IEUG represents Zimbabwe’s largest electricity consumers across the mining, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. The group champions sustainable energy solutions, particularly through IPPs, to reduce the reliance on the strained national grid and improve industrial competitiveness.
“We’ve accepted the challenge from the President [Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa],” Cross said during last week’s Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe’s annual conference held in Victoria Falls.
