ECONET InfraCo, through its renewable energy arm Distributed Power Africa, is scaling up its clean energy investments after applying for a licence to construct a 50-megawatt solar plant in Harare.
The utility-scale project marks a significant expansion for the newly restructured, Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed infrastructure giant as it aggressively builds out its independent green energy capacity.
The application has been lodged with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA).
According to a public notice issued by Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed Econet InfraCo, the proposed solar project will be located at Godavery Farm in the Hatfield suburb of the capital.
DPA is a leading pan-African renewable energy company specialising in solar energy solutions for commercial, industrial and telecommunications customers.
It was originally built on Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s extensive experience operating power systems and battery backups for its mobile network base stations.
Currently, DPA manages critical energy infrastructure across several African nations, including South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Locally, its prominent commercial footprint includes major industrial installations such as the 1MW Schweppes Zimbabwe rooftop plant in Willowvale, a 1,8MW hybrid facility at Tanganda Tea’s Ratelshoek Estate in Chipinge and various green energy projects for corporate clients like Delta Corporation and Stanbic Bank.
“Distributed Power Africa intends to generate electricity from the proposed solar plant and supply its customers,” said Econet InfraCo.
The proposed 50MW Godavery Farm development marks a significant scale-up for DPA into large, utility-scale grid supply.
The investment transitions the company beyond its traditional “behind-the-meter” commercial and industrial installations towards directly feeding the national electricity grid.
DPA intends to utilise the electricity generated from the Godavery Farm facility to supply its growing commercial and industrial customer base.
The company would design and deploy tailor-made, engineered energy solutions that are customised to meet the specific customer requirements.
To integrate the new power source into the national network, the project will require a substantial infrastructure buildout, including the construction of a 132/33kV substation on-site at the farm.
The green energy project will connect to the grid through the construction of an approximately 9-kilometer, 132kV single “lynx” overhead transmission line.
This line will link the solar plant directly to a proposed new switching station situated along the existing Dema-Coleford 132kV transmission line.
As part of the statutory regulatory process, ZERA has opened a 14-day window for public consultations, allowing interested stakeholders and residents to weigh in on the utility project.
The proposed investment comes at a time when Zimbabwe is actively diversifying its energy mix away from traditional thermal and hydro dependency.
Persistent climate-induced droughts have severely curtailed hydropower output at the Kariba Dam hydroelectric plant, while the country’s aging coal-fired plants at the Hwange thermal complex face recurrent operational bottlenecks.
In response, Government and private energy players are leaning heavily on solar energy, backed by Zimbabwe’s exceptional solar irradiation levels that average over 3 000 sunshine hours annually.
Under the National Development Strategy (NDS2) and the National Renewable Energy Policy, Zimbabwe is targeting 26,5 percent renewable energy penetration in the national grid mix.
While Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have historically developed smaller captive installations for internal corporate use, ZERA’s active licensing pipeline features dozens of huge new solar projects.
Major projects driving this transition include utility-scale inland initiatives like the Gwanda Solar Project (100MW), localised urban networks and proposed floating solar installations on Lake Kariba.
ZERA has licensed nearly 171 Independent Power Producers (IPPs). However, funding and development challenges mean only about 48 are currently operational, while others remain at different stages of construction, feasibility, or funding.
The energy regulator has licensed numerous IPPs to bridge the national power deficit, of about 2 200MW at peak demand, attract private investment to bypass government financing constraints and diversify energy sources toward renewables.
Zimbabwe produces an average of 1 400MW, through State-owned hydro and thermal power stations, leaving a substantial gap for private players to plug the gap.-herald
