Cane Plant Rescues ZESA
By David Masunda, CHISUMBANJE, Middle Sabi – Zimbabwe’s first ethanol only
plant will start producing between 2 to 3 megawatts daily from September,
company officials told RadioVOP.
Peter Glaum, the ethanol plant manager at Green Fuel’s massive Chisumbanje
and Middle Sabi sugar cane estates, says at full production, 18 megawatts
would be channeled into the ZESA grid to enable the embattled parastatal
meet some of its growing demand for electricity.
Green Fuel is a joint venture between private investors and the government’s
Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA). ARDA owns Chisumbanje
and Middle Sabi estates where already 5500 hectares are under sugar cane
production. The project is driven by Zimbabwean entrepreneur Billy
Rautenbach who has copied the Brazilian ethanol plant designs.
When RadioVOP visited last week, Brazilian and Zimbabwean engineers were
busy testing the plant before it can be fully commissioned within the next
two months. Glaum said depending on the cane condition (calorific value),
Green Fuel expects to produce between 2 to 3 megawatts of electricity and
350 thousand litres of ethanol daily by September.
According to company officials, the deal between the private investors
(called Rating at Chisumbanje and Macdom at Middle Sabi) is a build, operate
and transfer (BOT) arrangement with ARDA taking complete control of all the
sugar cane production in the two estates in 20 years.
As the project develops, said company officials, it is planned to introduce
villagers into small-scale sugar cane production with assistance – in the
form of cane seed, irrigation and expertise – from Green Fuel.
On the ethanol side, Green Fuel expects to produce 500 million litres of
ethanol annually in 10 years to power local vehicles, said Glaum. It will
market two types of fuel: E15 which is 15% ethanol and the rest petrol; and
E85, a highly concentrated variety that can fuel cars on its own without the
need to mix with petrol.