The Government of Zimbabwe says it no longer views the mining sector merely as a consumer of energy. Instead, the sector has evolved into an active co-developer of the country’s energy infrastructure, investing in generation projects to secure its own operations while strengthening national and regional energy security, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
This transformation was highlighted by the Minister of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo, during his address at the 2025 Africa Down Under Mining Conference in Perth, Australia, on Friday.
Over recent years, several leading mining companies have taken bold steps to generate their own power, insulating themselves from Zimbabwe’s decades-long power crisis, which has long challenged industrial operations.
Zimplats, for example, is rolling out a 185 MW solar power project, considered one of the largest private renewable energy initiatives in Southern Africa. Caledonia Mining’s Blanket Mine has commissioned a 12.2 MW solar plant, while Turk Mine now operates on a 4.4 MW solar farm. Beyond mining, the massive Manhize steel plant under Dinson Iron and Steel Company has developed an internal generation capacity of 50 MW, exemplifying how energy self-sufficiency is becoming a strategic priority across industries.
Minister Moyo said these projects underscore a fundamental shift in the mining sector’s role in energy development, driven by Zimbabwe’s unprecedented mining renaissance, which has sparked massive demand for power.
“This reality has redefined the relationship between mining and energy. No longer is mining simply a consumer; it is now a co-developer of energy infrastructure, investing in generation to secure operations while strengthening national and regional energy security,” he said. “These are not isolated projects; they represent a shift towards captive power generation, hybrid energy solutions, and surplus integration into the national grid.”
Minister Moyo further emphasized that Zimbabwe’s energy ambitions extend regionally through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), which enables cross-border electricity trading.
“Energy security is no longer a national agenda; it is regional,” he said. “Zimbabwe is strengthening cross-border transmission with its neighbours, exploiting the existence of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), which is a regional electricity trading platform.”
Within this framework, mining operations can feed surplus power into the regional grid, while mineral processing plants can access reliable cross-border electricity, creating a virtuous cycle of industrial and energy development. The Government’s goal is to achieve 5,432 MW of generation capacity by 2030, including 2,640 MW from renewables, requiring a US$9 billion investment, with 70 percent expected from the private sector.
While mining-led initiatives are expanding, the Government is also pursuing a broader strategy to grow energy capacity beyond individual mining sites. This includes the Kariba Floating Solar Project, the 22 MW Pomona Waste-to-Energy Project, and large-scale solar parks in Matabeleland, Midlands, and Mashonaland West being developed by Independent Power Producers (IPPs), all designed to strengthen Zimbabwe’s renewable energy footprint.
Inviting global investors to participate, Minister Moyo highlighted opportunities ranging from captive power generation and utility-scale renewable projects to grid modernization and the development of energy-mineral industrial parks. He explained that the Government has “disaggregated” the power sector to make it more transparent and attractive to private capital, clearly defining the roles and expectations for independent power producers in generation, transmission, and distribution. Large consumers, including mining companies, can now invest in their own generation capacity and sell excess electricity back to the grid.
These reforms, supported by cost-reflective tariffs and the rollout of prepaid meters, are designed to secure revenue for the state utility, improve electricity supply, and stimulate private investment in renewable energy projects such as solar and mini-hydro. By making the energy sector more predictable and investor-friendly, Zimbabwe is positioning itself as a hub for private capital to build power plants adjacent to mines, establish beneficiation hubs near mineral deposits, and develop regional energy corridors to power industrial growth.
Through these initiatives, the country is creating a framework that not only strengthens mining operations but also integrates them into a broader regional energy strategy, offering investors access to over 300 million people through the Southern African Power Pool, backed by bankable projects and government guarantees.
