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Business Reporter
CHINA Africa Sunlight Energy Limited says it may start building a coal mine in Gwayi early next year, once it obtains certification from the Environmental Management Agency. The company, a joint venture between Old Stone Investments Ltd of Zimbabwe and Shandong Taishan Sunlight of China, intends to invest US$2,1 billion in developing an underground coal mine and building a 2 100-megawatt plant by 2016.

The power that will be generated by the company will be fed into the national grid.

“We are now waiting for certification from EMA and once we get it, we will move on the ground early next year,” the company’s general manager, Mr Charles Mugari, said.

“The drilling will take up about 15 months and the actual mining will start by June 2015.”
However, they have been concern that the coal mining operations in the area could negatively affect the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam meant to supply water to Bulawayo.

Mr Mugari said his company would also look at developing a fertiliser plant, brick moulding factory and a coke oven battery, which produces coke used it steel smelting.

China Africa Sunlight Energy was granted mining rights last year and has spent about US$20 million on exploration. The project is expected to create at least 4 500 jobs.

The coal exploration area in Gwayi has an estimated four billion tonnes of resources and China Africa Sunlight Energy is conducting  studies to measure how much gas is available,  Mr Mugari said in a recent interview with Bloom-berg.

“If they discover gas, the way we think they are going to, we want to export the gas overseas to India in partnership with Discovery Investments Ltd,” said Mr Mugari.

And depending on the outcome of the gas study, the company wants to start a programme piloting methane gas for domestic use in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province, and extend this to Bulawayo if successful.