Electricity demand from Zimbabwe’s mines is rising faster than supply: the sector expects to need more than 1,500 megawatts (MW) within 12 months, up from about 1,000 MW now and 750 MW in 2023–24. Deputy Mines Minister Caleb Makwiranzou gave the figures on 12 October, adding that the country’s generation of 1,200–1,600 MW falls about 600 MW short of a 2,200 MW peak. Zimbabwe spent $881.7 million on imported power between January 2021 and March 2026, and miners lose about a tenth of potential output to cuts. Without new plants, lithium, gold and platinum projects will depend on costly imports and their own generators, and the ministry plans terms for independent power producers by mid-2027.
Sources
- The Herald/Chronicle: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/mining-power-demand-set-to-surge-50pc-in-12-months/