Chinese firm expedites Zim energy park project
A Chinese firm, Tsingshan Group, is looking to speed up the setting up of a multi-million dollar Energy Park in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province, which will see the construction one of the biggest coke battery facilities in Africa, Business Times has established.
The energy park in Hwange, which will entail a 1.3m tonne coke battery and a 500 megawatts power station, is expected to play a huge role in supporting Tsingshan’s proposed multi-million carbon steel plant in Mvuma.
The Chinese firm has since completed the construction of a 150 000 tonne coke battery plant while construction of an additional 150 000 tonne coke battery plant has since resumed.
It is understood that before the end of this year, Tsingshan will commence construction of a third 1m tonne per annum coke battery, which will be the biggest in Africa.
“In terms of the project, the three coke battery plants will be housed into an area which will be called the Tsingshan Energy Park, which will house a capacity of 1.3m tonnes of coke production,” Mines and Mining Development minister, Winston Chitando said.
He added: “What will also happen is that in that energy park, it will house a 500 Megawatts (MW) power station and interestingly all that 500 MW power station will be entirely for the use of Tsingshan. The power station will be housed in that Energy Park.
Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the government, Tsingshan has moved with speed to implement its vision in the spirit of the MOU.”
Top executives from the Tsingshan Group are expected to visit Zimbabwe in July for high-level engagements with President Mnangagwa’s government.