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Distributed Power Africa’s has signed a 25-year power lease agreement with Varun Beverages for a rooftop solar PV facility at the soft drinks manufacturer’s plant in Harare. Zimbabwe has emerged as a significant C&I market, reflecting the extent to which recurrent power blackouts are curtailing economic output, prompting companies and individuals to invest in solar energy.

State utility Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has increased tariffs for exporters and introduced US dollar charges for all foreign currency-earning companies, to boost its forex purse. Zesa is grappling to meet a growing demand for electricity fuelled by a mining economy which is targeting $12bn annual production by 2023.

Zimbabwe is moving ahead with repairs, after obtaining a $310m loan from the Export-Import Bank of India to rehabilitate six units at the coal-fired Hwange Power Station.

Energy and power development minister Zhemu Soda has removed the board of directors of state petroleum company PetroTrade for alleged malpractice, including recruiting senior staff without following company procedures.

Invictus Energy has identified multiple drill-ready prospects in its 80%-owned and operated Cabora Bassa project, after gaining the rights in August to exploration rights to blocks 1848 and 1849 in northern Zimbabwe. Following a fund-raising, and unfulfilled talks with potential partners, the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed firm is going ahead with drilling on its own.

Energy-short Zimbabwe started receiving 100MW of electricity from Zambia at the beginning of August after paying up-front for the electricity. Zimbabwe had signed a prepaid facility to import electricity in July, but the deal risked falling through without payment for the power.

South African independent power producer (IPP) Matshela Energy has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) to develop a 100MW solar PV plant and 40MWh battery storage facility.

The Anglican Diocese of Central Zimbabwe has installed a 157kWp solar PV plant and 300kWh battery storage system at St Patrick’s High School in Gweru, Midlands province. The plant is the first phase of a proposed 5MW solar PV project that will meet the school’s electricity needs, with excess electricity sold to the national grid via a net metering scheme.

The precarious fiscal position of Zambia and Zimbabwe, with their heavy debts and weak risk profile, is hampering mobilisation of the $5bn needed to develop the 2.4GW Batoka Gorge hydroelectric power (HEP) project.

An African Development Bank-backed emergency power project has concluded with the delivery of a 175MVA transformer to the vital Sherwood substation, marking another step in efforts to upgrade infrastructure in the beleaguered economy – and providing a link to Chinese company Dinson’s huge steel plant development at Manhize.

Independent power producer Solgas Energy has begun work to expand the Hwange-based Cross Mabale solar PV plant by 10MW.

Australian indie Invictus Energy has substantially increased the estimates for the Mukuyu-1 gas prospect in the Cabora Bassa Basin in Zimbabwe, following a new study by London-based consultants ERCE.

Zimbabwe’s plans to use its ample coal resources to produce power, while it slowly scales up its renewable capacity, have been dealt a major blow, with international funding now in doubt for a series of major projects.

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Invictus Energy has begun rig mobilisation at Cabora Bassa in Zimbabwe, with drilling of the Mukuyu-1 well due to start in July, as the first part of a two-well gas exploration campaign.

Harare City Council (HCC) has suspended a joint venture with Dutch firm Geogenix, just a few weeks after the investor started work on a recycling facility and a 22MW waste-to-energy plant at the city’s Pomona dump site.