Zimbabwe\u2019s natural features provide huge potential for renewables. But the rollout of clean energy has so far been slow and problematic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given their market-leading role in manufacturing and supplying renewable energy equipment, companies from China \u2013 previously a backer of coal in Zimbabwe \u2013 are among the actors who could accelerate the country\u2019s transition away from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bridging the energy gap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Decades of underinvestment in electricity generation has precipitated years of persistent power shortages in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Demand for power has long outstripped installed generation capacity, with the country\u2019s power utility, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), covering the deficit through imports from neighbouring countries. The total installed capacity of ZESA\u2019s five power stations \u2013 Munyati, Hwange, Harare and Bulawayo coal power plants, and Kariba hydropower dam \u2013 currently stands at just over 2,000 megawatts<\/a> (MW) against a peak demand of 2,200 MW, though they run well below capacity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Hwange, the country\u2019s largest coal power plant, ageing infrastructure has weakened power generation often to below half<\/a> of its 920 MW capacity. Meanwhile, successive droughts<\/a>, linked to climate change, mean that the Kariba dam is also often unable to realise its generation potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Demand for electricity is rising. A steadily growing population, rapid rural-to-urban migration, and nascent economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic \u2013 driven by new mining projects for resources including lithium, gold and coal \u2013 have spurred demand for power, authorities say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an opinion article<\/a> for Zimbabwe\u2019s Sunday Mail newspaper last year, the country\u2019s President Emmerson Mnangagwa expressed concern at the energy demand, particularly of the mining sector, that is central to the government\u2019s economic policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2026 have to increase our internal power generation, possibly threefold, if we are to avoid throttling our growth, and if we are to lessen our dependency on power imports,\u201d wrote Mnangagwa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Power shortages also threaten the country\u2019s ambitious aspiration of transforming into a middle-income society by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Ministry of Finance, 41%<\/a> of Zimbabwe\u2019s population of 14.8 million has access to electricity, with the proportion being around 20% in rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government\u2019s medium-term economic programme \u2013 the National Development Strategy 1<\/a> (NDS1) for 2021\u20132025 \u2013 lays out a target for installed generation capacity of 3,467 MW and construction of 280 km of transmission and distribution lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis energy supply position would mean that there will be no more energy imports by 2025,\u201d reads the NDS1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zimbabwe currently imports significant amounts of electricity from its neighbours Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. This comes at a huge cost to the country, with cash-strapped ZESA reportedly spending US$72.3 million<\/a> on electricity imports in the first half of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To plug the deficit, Zimbabwean authorities are exploring a number of interventions. The NDS1 targets the \u201cdevelopment of an Integrated Energy Resource Master Plan, completion of ongoing energy projects, as well as construction of new energy generating capacity and upgrading, rehabilitation and maintenance of the existing energy infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also plans to boost private sector participation<\/a> in electricity generation, through the promotion of independent power producers, beyond the six state-run power stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike most of its regional peers, however, Zimbabwe\u2019s access to affordable development aid and concessional loans has been curtailed by two decades of Western sanctions, first imposed<\/a> by the US in 2001. An assessment<\/a> of the sanctions, done in 2022 by UN special rapporteur Professor Alena Douhan, concluded that they have negatively impacted the country\u2019s economy, including its ability to establish new power generation sources, and the enjoyment of human rights. The assessment detailed challenges in the energy sector that include obsolete technology, poor investment levels, and obstacles to payment transactions and credit access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Cyclone Idai hit Zimbabwe in March 2019 it left a trail of destruction<\/a>, affecting more than 270,000 people, leaving 341 dead and many others missing. The flooding was made worse by an El Ni\u00f1o drought, itself intensified by warming global temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For authorities, Idai also signalled the need for a fresh look at the country\u2019s energy policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2020, more than 40%<\/a> of the country\u2019s power was generated from coal. Poor households in the country\u2019s vast rural areas, meanwhile, remain largely dependent on wood for cooking and heating, which puts pressure on forests<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a preliminary report<\/a> on the 2022 national census, 60.7% of households in Zimbabwe use firewood for cooking, while 38.7% use clean energy for their kitchen needs. The remaining 0.6% use coal, charcoal or animal dung, or do not cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the run-up to the COP26<\/a> summit, held in Glasgow in 2021, Zimbabwe committed to cutting its carbon emissions by 40% by the year 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his Sunday Mail opinion piece<\/a> last July, President Mnangagwa indicated Zimbabwe\u2019s renewables potential. \u201cOur experts estimate that we can generate a further 600 MW from solar, with an additional 120 MW coming from small hydropower projects,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPotentially, we can also raise 1,000 MW from biomass, with our geothermal energy potential giving us an additional 50 MW\u2026 Wind power has a potential to give us 1,872 MW, according to our experts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project announcements in the last year indicate that government experts may have underestimated the country\u2019s potential for solar power generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to China Dialogue, Zimbabwe\u2019s energy minister, Zhemu Soda, emphasised hydropower, as well as on-grid and distributed solar power projects, as central to achieving the country\u2019s climate and energy targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lenin Chisaira, a lawyer and director of the nonprofit Advocates4Earth, was more critical. \u201cZimbabwe has taken some commendable action on green energy policies, such as the Renewable Energy Policy, Climate Policy and the National Climate Change Response Strategy,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, actual implementation has been very slow and problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that implementation of some existing solar projects was opaque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cZimbabwe needs to involve knowledgeable stakeholders from green business, environmental groups, universities and academia as well as green energy companies and start-ups in the formulation and implementation of green energy and climate policies,\u201d Chisaira added. \u201cThe country must also set up an independent Green Energy Commission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In spite of its climate pledges and green energy policies, Zimbabwe continues to pursue a number of coal power projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RioZim, one of the country\u2019s biggest mining companies, plans<\/a> to develop a 2,800 MW coal power station in Sengwa, in the north, where massive coal reserves have been discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US$3 billion project ran into turbulence last year after the proposed financier, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), withdrew<\/a> following China\u2019s pledge to end support for coal power plants overseas<\/a>. RioZim is now scouting for new financiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also in the pipeline is the proposed 2,100 MW Lusulu thermal power project<\/a> that, according to energy minister Soda, is currently seeking funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further, the Zimbabwean government has secured<\/a> a US$310 million loan from India\u2019s Export-Import Bank to fund the life extension of six units at the Hwange coal power station by up to 25 years. The project will restore generation<\/a> to 96% of its 920 MW capacity. Works are expected to commence later this year and be completed by the end of 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China has been a significant player in Zimbabwe\u2019s energy sector. ICBC\u2019s withdrawal from the Sengwa coal power plant project in 2022 was a signal that Chinese overseas investors\u2019 focus had shifted from coal to hydropower and solar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with US-based multinational General Electric, Power China is currently developing the Batoka Gorge hydroelectric plant on the Zambezi River between Zimbabwe and Zambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Minister Soda, environmental and social impact assessment studies have already been completed for the plant, though not yet for the additional transmission lines, which will be required since the planned generation capacity of the plant was increased from 1,600 MW to 2,400 MW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Zambezi River Authority, a binational body responsible for the project, feasibility studies have also been completed. Soda said mobilisation of financial resources for the project was underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project could expedite Zimbabwe\u2019s transition away from dependence on coal for power generation, according to Stephen Dihwa, executive director of the coordination centre of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), a body that coordinates power systems in the region. He said the Batoka Gorge hydropower station will provide clean energy for both Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries, and will replace a significant amount of power currently derived from coal power plants, thereby reducing national emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reception is not all positive, however. Kennedy Chigudu, who lives downstream from Batoka in Kariba, the site of another dam, fears development of the power station will negatively impact local tourism, a source of livelihood for many. He noted that, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, there had been inadequate project consultations with affected communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe developers should come back again for fresh consultations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chinese investors have also shown a growing appetite<\/a> for solar power projects in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, China Energy Engineering Corporation proposed<\/a> the construction of a 1,000 MW solar plant at the Kariba dam, at a cost of nearly US$1 billion. Chinese companies have so far signed agreements for solar projects totalling at least 350 MW in capacity, according to a briefing paper<\/a> by the International Institute of Green Finance at China\u2019s Central University of Finance and Economics.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA greener energy future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Electricians](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Cyclone-Idai-repairs_Alamy_T314BN-scaled.jpg\")
<\/div>Coal contradictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From backing coal to backing the transition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n