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Walter Nyamukondiwa in KARIBA
STOCK exchange-listed company Padenga Holdings will soon commission a $1,8 million solar power plant in Kariba, which will produce 1,2 megawatts, most of which is meant for its crocodile business, with excess power being sold to the ZESA and fed onto the national grid.

The project is set to complement Government’s efforts to increase internal power generation.

In an interview during the tour of the plant recently, Padenga Holdings operations executive Mr Charles Boddy said the plant will produce 0,3 mega watts (MW) on commissioning sometime in May, before generation is increased to 0,8MW by the end of the year.

“We are going to expand the plant to 800Kw, which is 0,8MW by the end of this year and then in 2019, we will increase it to 1,2MW,” said Mr Boddy.

“This plant was originally designed for self-consumption, but we have now been licensed as an independent power producer with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) and, therefore, we will be connected to the national grid.

“So, the power that we will produce will be injected into the national power grid and be used anywhere in the country.”

Since the company needs 1MW everyday, the remaining 0,2MW will be fed into the national grid.

Padenga now needs to strike a power purchasing agreement with ZESA and a connection agreement with the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC).

“We hope to have completed the engagement process and gotten the green light by the end of April so that we commission the plant by May 1,” he said.

Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Mr Webster Shamu said the project should be the benchmark for investment in the country.

“What Padenga (Holdings) has done here is to create a product of national interest. Zesa is now going to saved quite a lot of electricity generation costs,” he said.

“This will also see increased production at the farm. The saving in foreign currency is going to be massive in the long run. What is stopping us from rolling out such massive ventures is the need for capital. This equipment comes from Germany, which means Padenga has generated enough foreign currency to bring in the equipment.”

Minister Shamu said Government was now careful not to approve briefcase entrepreneurs, who come up with proposals for projects that were not backed with viable capital input.

Most of the so-called entrepreneurs, he said, seek offer letters for land from Government, but go on to hold the land for speculative purposes.

“We would like to see serious players of this nature where somebody talks of a project they have planned properly and sourced the necessary capital and move with Government,” said Minister Shamu.