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Three international consortia have bid to develop the 2,400MW Batoka Gorge hydro scheme along the Zambezi River on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. The bidders are a consortium of Power Construction Corporation of China and General Electric, Salini Impregilo of Italy, and a joint venture of China Three Gorges Corporation, China International Water and Electric Corporation and China Gezhouba Group Company.

The government has agreed to rebundle all Zesa group companies into one company as part of its public sector enterprise reform programme. A cabinet meeting on 5 February resolved to merge the units into a single integrated company. Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the Electricity Act would be amended to take account of the new structure, while a consultant is being sought to advise the government on the best structure for the rebundled utility.

Sable Chemicals is working with Tatanga Energy, a local energy infrastructure development company, to build the 50MW first phase of a solar park at the ammonium nitrate fertiliser manufacturer’s plant at Kwekwe in central Zimbabwe. The project is a joint venture between Sable, the land owner, co-developer and services manager, Sable’s parent Masawara Plc, and Tatanga Energy. Masawara owns 70% of the project while Tatanga holds the remaining 30%.

Zimbabwe now has the world’s most expensive petrol, at $3.33/litre, following a price rise announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the country’s economic crisis deepens. Several people have been shot dead, and witnesses say security forces have been raiding homes as anti-government protests intensified in mid-January. The authorities cut internet access, preventing access to messaging services.

Miner RioZim has engaged Japan’s Univergy to build four 25MW solar power stations to supply cheaper energy to four of its biggest mines. The Herald newspaper reported that the sites were Renco and Cam and Motor gold mines, Murowa Diamonds and the Dalny gold mine, recently acquired from Falcon Gold.

Zimbabwe’s government is piecing together a policy programme to stimulate investment into its moribund power sector. Recovering energy output is a central pillar of government efforts to revitalise the economy. But President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration faces an uphill battle and a critical few weeks, highlighted by a recent visit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ahead of delivery of the budget on 22 November. The budget will prioritise engagement with lenders, in particular development finance institutions.

There is no shortage of power projects in Zimbabwe, but while there are plenty of independent power producers (IPPs) and several smaller plants under construction, the government’s focus is on state-owned projects. Larger IPPs and investors face the seemingly insurmountable obstacles of the currency crisis and the absence of international funding, while a number of state projects are well advanced.The government has prioritised longstanding projects such as the 600MW expansion of the Hwange coal power plant and repowering of older thermal plants.

President Emerson Mnangawa has said Invictus Energy Ltd plans a well by mid-2020 on its permit in northern Zimbabwe. After Mnangagwa held a news conference on 1 November to discuss the progress of the ASX-listed company on the SG 4571 permit in the Cabora Bassa Basin, Invictus was forced to issue a statement clarifying media reports, including from the BBC, that a discovery had been made.Mnangagwa said the findings of preliminary studies were “positive and point to oil and gas deposits in the area”.

Soventix South Africa, a subsidiary of German solar project developer Soventix GmbH, has won a contract to construct a solar photovoltaic park. The 22MWp Harava project, which will be developed on 40 hectares of land in the village of Bwoni in Seke district, south-west of Harare, is being funded by Botswana-based Invest Solar Africa, Soventix announced on 10 October.

While President Emmerson Mnangagwa has worked hard to attract investment through his “Zimbabwe is open for business” campaign, critics say his government has offered no significant economic reforms besides the annulment in April of a controversial 2008 law requiring foreigners to cede 51% of their business to indigenous Zimbabweans.

Cyprus-based Karo Mining Holdings will partner Mauritian independent power producer Argentum Energy to roll out a phased 300MW solar power plant in the Chegutu platinum mining area. Karo is developing a large-scale, vertically integrated platinum group metals (PGM) mining complex, which will include a platinum mine, a refinery and a coal mine. The project is being developed in partnership with the government of Zimbabwe under an Investment Project Framework Agreement signed on 22 March 2018.

US-based investment firm Persistent Energy Capital has injected $1m into Zonful Energy, one of Zimbabwe’s fastest-growing off-grid energy companies. The partnership will give Zonful access to Persistent’s technical and advisory support in finance, financial management and information technology (IT). Persistent’s partner company Catalyst is already working with Zonful to build IT infrastructure to support the company’s ambitious growth plans. The has enabled Zonful to unlock a matching grant of $1m from the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF).

Two solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totalling 250MW in Zimbabwe have been advertised for sale through the Andorra-based renewable energy consultancy VERD QI. Co-developers are sought for a 150MW PV project under development in Matabeleland North Province and for a 100MW project in Plumtree, Bulilimamangwe District, Matabeleland South Province, at the border with Botswana.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is installing a 0.45MW solar plant at its Willowvale offices in Harare as its sister company Distributed Power Africa (DPA) rolls out $250m of investment to provide solar energy for industrial, commercial and domestic use. The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority granted Econet a 25-year licence in March to construct, own and operate a solar power plant.DPA is part of Cumii Technologies, a subsidiary of the Econet Group.

The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has shortlisted three international contractors for the spillway rehabilitation of the Kariba dam – China Gezhouba Group Company Limited, GE Hydro France and an Italian joint venture of CMC di Ravenna and ATB Riva Calzoni.The prequalified companies will be invited to bid for the works tender, marking the final lap of the spillway rehabilitation procurement process. The tender closes on 21 June, and the contract is expected to be awarded by Q4 2018.