Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) has engaged with a Zimbabwean Company to build and operate a 32 photovoltaic solar power plant that will benefit both PPC and Zimbabwe as a whole.
Zimbabwe has been struggling with electricity for the past two years caused by the dryness of the Kariba Hydro electricity generating dam.
According to PPC,the electricity produced will be used to power up PPC’s facilities and half of the electricity will be fed into Zimbabwe’s national electricity grid. The project is expected to take place in Collen Bawn in the Matabeleland South Province.
The South African based company is currently working on funds for the project to begin. PPC stated that large sums of money will be needed to generate electricity for its facilities and the Zimbabwean Power grid which is the aim of the solar project that will soon enter its construction phase.
While giving a statement, Marvellous Sibanda, the Chief Operating Officer of the cement company said: “The solar energy supplier is based in Zimbabwe with technical partners in South Africa. No details were provided on the cost of the 32 MWp solar photovoltaic project.”
The solar project is expected to take 18 months. PPC will draw 16MWp of electricity from the plant and have the other 16MWp injected into Zimbabwe’s national electricity grid. PPC has been one of the companies that have decided to turn to solar energy for their electricity supply in Zimbabwe.
