China Africa Sunlight Energy Limited has announced that it will build a 300MW power station at Gwayi in northern Zimbabwe by 2016
The company is a joint venture (JV) between Old Stone Investments Limited of Zimbabwe and Shandong Taishan Sunlight.
Charles Mugari, deputy GM of China Africa Sunlight Energy Limited, said, “As part of the first phase of the project, the company will build a modern residential complex for 2,000 workers, a coal mine and a power plant.”
Mugari added that the second phase of the power project will focus on methane gas extraction and another 300MW plant, which will be completed in mid 2017. China Africa Sunlight Energy Limited will also establish another 400MW plant powered by methane gas.
The company stated that it plans to spend US$2.1bn in the next five years on power generation, coal mining and methane bed gas extraction in the area.
“We have embarked on a comprehensive exploration process and by end of this year we will know exactly the minable reserves of methane gas,” Mugari added.
Projects would be carried out on 1,000 sq km of land and is expected to create 4,500 jobs in the next two years. The company will also build hotels and business complexes. The goal is to develop a strong economic zone, which will attract foreign investment, according to Mugari.
