Government Aprroves Bulawayo City Council 50 MW solar power plant

The government has approved the construction of a 50 MW solar power in Bulawayo.
The project which is a joint partnership between Bulawayo City Council and Williams Engineering will see a 50 Mega-Watt (MW) photovoltaic (solar) power plant being built at Ncema Farm in a Build-Operate-Own-and-Transfer arrangement over a concession period.

The Chief Facilitator in Charge of the ZIDA One Stop Shop Investment Centre, Mr Never Nyemudzo said that,upon completion, the solar plant will ensure that water supply in Bulwayo is not be disrupted by power outages as well as creating employment during the construction phase.

“The project will address the perennial power challenges at the Bulawayo water pumping station and also provide power to the Citys critical installations thereby reducing the Council power bill;he power plant will create 200 jobs during construction and 40 jobs during its operation;the plant will provide dedicated power to Bulawayo industries in the designated Special Economic Zones; and the plant will provide an alternative revenue stream for Bulawayo,”he said

The development comes at a time Zimbabwe is facing acute electricity supply gaps with low generation capacity at the country’s main power stations in Hwange and Kariba.

The power crisis in the country has severely affected service deliverythroughout the country with city councils failing to pump water to the households. The project will have an expected lifespan of 20 years, and is projected to take up to 24 months to complete.