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As Zimbabwe moves into a new era of mineral-led economic growth, the country faces a pressing question: how can it drive energy access rapidly enough to fuel industrial activity while staying within carbon ambitions?
By Rudairo Mapuranga
A fresh regional perspective argues that a temporary, controlled rise in emissions, dubbed a “lean carbon” strategy, may be the best bet for nations like Zimbabwe to break free from energy poverty without being locked into dirty infrastructure.
In a recent opinion piece, Louis Strydom, Director of Growth and Development for Africa and Europe at Wärtsilä Energy, contends that African countries should be allowed a small, time-bound “carbon overdraft” to ensure reliable power to industries and households. This controversial yet pragmatic argument comes at a time when Zimbabwe, with 22-hour power cuts just two years ago and still reliant on costly imported electricity, is aggressively seeking solutions to stabilise the grid and enhance local production.
Zimbabwe currently produces a fraction of the energy it needs. This underpowering has led mines, farms, and SMEs to rely on diesel generators, which are expensive and highly polluting. Studies cited by Strydom show that self-generation in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly via diesel gensets, accounts for about 6% of installed capacity, with the cost per kWh running between USD 0.30 to 0.70, several times more than grid supply (grid electricity cost for mining in Zimbabwe is USD 0.14 per kWh).
“A clean sentence in a strategy does not change the physics of a failing system,” Strydom writes, cautioning against idealism that fails to address urgent reliability needs.
Strydom’s proposition moves away from extreme orthodoxies, neither “no fossil” nor “gas or nothing”, and instead calls for flexible, modular power plants that can run initially on diesel or heavy fuel oil (HFO) but are built to switch to natural gas or cleaner fuels as infrastructure matures.
For Zimbabwe, this approach could support the country’s mines, smelters, and industrial parks without forcing the country to wait for gas infrastructure, which remains limited due to poor regional connectivity and the absence of viable LNG import terminals nearby.
This “lean carbon” pathway consists of three key elements:
Dual-fuel power plants – facilities that can start generating immediately using HFO or diesel but must be technologically capable of switching to gas when pipelines or supply become viable.
Declining fossil use – while fossil fuels initially supplement renewables, their usage must taper over time as solar, hydro, and storage capacity expand.
Strict covenants and deadlines – implementation of hard compliance measures in PPAs and energy policies to prevent fossil lock-in and ensure timely conversion to cleaner energy.
Zimbabwe has long argued for a “just energy transition”, one that acknowledges historical inequality in emissions and the country’s right to develop. Despite contributing just a tiny fraction to global greenhouse gases, African nations still face pressure from global financiers to skip all fossils entirely. Strydom notes that Africa produces only 4% of global CO₂, while holding 17% of the world’s population.
Yet Zimbabwe, like many African nations, must balance the need for affordable power with the ambition to transition cleanly. The reality, according to Strydom, is that waiting for future technologies while people sit in the dark is not climate policy—it is development deferred.
In practical terms, scaling up modular, dual-fuel power plants, particularly reciprocating engine technology that pairs well with renewables, could help Zimbabwe reach universal access while preparing to cut emissions once gas or hydrogen becomes viable.
Mining and manufacturing are the nation’s biggest drivers of electricity demand. Zimbabwe’s largest energy consumer, Zimplats, has already embarked on building its own 185MW solar plant. Kuvimba Mining House, Mimosa, and Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe have likewise registered plans to generate renewable energy for operations.
But the gap persists, particularly for small-scale and mid-tier miners who cannot afford solar farms and instead rely on generators. Under the lean carbon model, government and energy developers could procure flexible, grid-stabilising power assets that maximise renewables while providing reliable baseload.
To implement a lean carbon system, Zimbabwean energy regulators and ministries should:
- Set clear timelines for emissions peaking and gas conversion across all thermal assets.
- Mandate gas-ready design in new thermal tenders.
- Reward hybrid solutions that push renewables without sacrificing grid stability.
- Ensure policy continuity that de-risks early-stage investments in storage and transmission upgrades.
International financiers are slowly shifting from outright bans on fossil projects to conditional support for hybrid, transition-enabled power systems. Zimbabwe can seize this momentum to secure funding that doesn’t trap the country in pollution.
As Strydom concludes, Africa does not seek permission to pollute. It seeks permission to end energy poverty quickly while peaking emissions early. That bargain—a small, temporary hump in emissions—may be the most realistic way to sustain Zimbabwe’s mining-driven economy while charting a credible path to net-zero.
