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Tapiwanashe Mangwiro

Senior Business Reporter

Zimbabwe’s renewable energy capacity increased by 1,07 percent to 1222 megawatts (MW) in 2022 from 1 209 MW in 2021, highlighting the ongoing development of the energy transition in the mix of power generation.

With the cost of oil and gas expected to stay high for the foreseeable future, countries that can generate their own energy from renewable sources would appear to be in an enviable position.

Renewable Capacity Statistics 2023, released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), shows that the country’s share of renewable energy capacity in electricity generation capacity stood at 49,4 percent in 2022, down from 50,2 percent in 2021.

Load shedding has lately intensified in the country due to the loss of generation capacity at the flagship Kariba hydropower plant.

There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel as far as the power situation is concerned, as there is hope that the long-awaited Unit 7 at Hwange Thermal Power Station has been synchronised with the national grid.

The Government is also currently engaging investors to come aboard as independent power producers (IPPs), with authorities having also shown their willingness to adjust and make the environment favourable for the IPPs, which will help to cover the current power gap.

The country’s electricity access rate currently stands at 62 percent. Zimbabwe’s electricity access rate stood at 53 percent of the population in 2020, with 86 percent of those in urban areas having access to electricity while 37 percent of the rural population has access, according to the Irena.

Renewable energy expert Engineer Polite Makufa said the country is on the right track, but unfortunately the country is being stifled of adequate funding.

“We are making strides, we are moving albeit at a slower pace but the progress is notable. Our problem is funding as the current IPPs are now selling to the Southern African Power Pool for foreign currency in order to maintain the existing plants,” Makufa said.

Eng Makufa added that the country is facing difficulties in harnessing the power at its disposal as offshore financing has proven to be expensive and will limit our ability to repay as the national power utility is paying them in local currency.

Off-grid capacity for total renewable energy was 4 779 MW in 2022, down from 5 263 MW in 2021.

In the last five years, the country’s renewable energy output averaged 1201 MW.

However, Irena says the global energy transition is off track to prevent the worst impact of the climate emergency, and a fundamental course correction is required to successfully pivot away from fossil fuels.

According to the renewable energy agency, an additional US$35 trillion of investments in transitional technologies would be needed by 2030 to curb global heating to 1,5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

This temperature threshold refers to the aspirational goal of the landmark Paris Agreement.

It is widely regarded as a crucial global target because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level of global heating.

Tipping points are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in Earth’s entire life support system.

Irena said deployment levels must grow from some 3 000 gigawatts today to more than 10 000 GW in 2030.

To be sure, the belief is that burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is the chief driver of the climate crisis.

The agency believes that companies who are choosing to invest in the traditional oil and gas sector, are equal to a lost investment in renewables.

Irena in its report said, “There is no doubt that from our point of view, this is not the right direction. It will produce stranded assets. That is the reason why we are insisting on working on focusing on infrastructure but also on changing our attention from the supply side of the problem to the demand side.”

There is strong hope that the Dubai UNFCCC conference will lead the way to build a new narrative that can better orient the investment in the years to come and accelerate the energy transition too.

The UAE will host the COP28 climate summit from November 30 through to December 12.