Ethanol project on course
By Staff Reporter
Wednesday, 12 January 2011 12:16
HARARE – Construction of Africa’s largest ethanol plant in the Lowveld is on
course, with management indicating Tuesday that fuel sales will commence
March.
Zimbabwe’s Green Fuel company is expected to start producing ethanol fuel in
March, a development expected to impact positively on the economy as this
will bring down the price of fuel in the country. The billion dollar
investment employs 6 000 people.
With the plant nearing completion, Green Fuel says a distillery section is
being installed at Chisumbanje in Chipinge.
“The main function of the distillery section is to receive the raw juice
from the mill for purification and fermentation into the final product –
ethanol. The distillery columns form additional structures that are now
visibly above ground at the Green Fuel ethanol plant site,” Graeme Smith,
the company’s general manager said.
“The construction site itself is a hive of activity as welders, boiler
makers, carpenters, surveyors, engineers and project managers negotiate
their way around the rains that have been pounding Chisumbanje to make good
progress.
‘We have had exceptionally high rainfall this year – having received already
50% of the usual total of the whole season for this area. This has affected
work in the fields – at some stage in December we had to stop all planting
and tillage because of the mud,” he added.
While the current rains have been a relief for the group’s agricultural
activities in watering its cane fields, Green Fuels has experienced minimal
disruptions as the south eastern company and operation has experienced
increased power cuts by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority.
It has, though, been relying on back-up power from generators.
On completion, the plant will produce more than a million litres of fuel,
stock feeds and excess power – out of its projected 120 megawattage
generating capacity – to light the whole of Manicaland.