HARARE – An independent power producer, Co-Ash Resources has applied to set up a 1,000 megawatt thermal and gas-fired power station in Hwange, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) has said.

According to the energy regulator, the firm will generate power using waste coal from mining companies in the area using the plasma fired gasification technology.

Zimbabwe-Energy-Regulatory-Authority-(Zera)

Plasma gasification technology, which involves conversion of organic matter into electricity, is a globally accepted form of waste management which is already being used in developed countries such as the United Kingdom and France to generate power.

“The name of the generation station would be Hwange-CAR Advanced Plasma Waste Gasification power plant,” Zera said in a statement.

“The proposed plant will generate electricity using waste coal fines in the Hwange Colliery environs, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe.”

Zera said the new power station’s generation method would help clean up “the now hazardous heavily mined environment whilst generating and supplying electricity in Zimbabwe.”

With Zimbabwe battling an energy shortage as demand continues to outrun supply, Zera has licensed over 15 IPPs to complement struggling power utility, Zesa Holdings, amid calls to license more private power generators.

Zesa is currently generating about half of the 2,200MW national requirement which has resulted in permanent load shedding being introduced for both households and industry impacting negatively on economic recovery efforts.

Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire recently encouraged IPPs to apply for licenses as government has opened up the sector to end Zesa’s monopoly in power generation.

Energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire

“We have opened the sector, anyone who has the resource to set up the power generating plant should come on board and get licensed,” he said.