Energy / Zimbabwe
“Electricity available for every household.”
What is your ambition for the energy sector?
My vision is to be able to produce enough energy with a surplus to export to other parts of the region. We want to see electricity available for every household.
What are the main obstacles to reaching your vision?
To build power stations, we need the funding. The government does not have enough resources for this. We currently enjoy good cooperation with China, as a loan was recently facilitated by Sino Hydro, who is currently expanding the Kariba Hydro Power Station with two new units of 150 MW each.
How are you preparing to be an energy exporter?
We anticipate meeting our internal needs by 2018. We currently have lots of expansion projects of existing stations, as well as new ones. Also our solar energy initiative will ease pressure on the national grid. All of our investment programs will lead to excess capacity that we can export.
What is the ministry doing to instil investor confidence?
We make them aware of the opportunities that exist. If an independent power producer comes in and produces energy to sell, that company will to get returns. They would be paid in full.
What opportunities exist for potential investors?
There are two types of investments. You have those who build their own power plant to generate and sell electricity, and those where the government wants to build its own power stations and does so by getting engineering, procurement and construction contractors like Sino Hydro.
What should investors know about the energy sector?
We require people to bid to ensure they have the technical competence. The financial packages are quite competitive. They can then come in and focus on working for themselves. Come and invest, produce power, sell that power and then recover your money.
