The Harava Solar Power Station, is a

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

power plant under construction in Zimbabwe. The project is owned and under development by ''Harava Solar Limited'' and entity owned by the ''Seke Community'', in partnership with the

Government of Zimbabwe The politics of Zimbabwe takes place in a framework of a full presidential republic, whereby the President is the head of state and government as organized by the 2013 Constitution. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative pow ...

. The energy generated here will be purchased by

Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, (ZESA) whose official name is ZESA Holdings (Private) Limited, is a state-owned company whose task is to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in Zimbabwe. It has organized this task by delegatio ...

(ZESA), under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

Location

The power station sits on , near the community of ''Bwoni'', in Seke Rural Constituency, in

Seke District Seke District is a district of the Province Mashonaland East in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South ...

, Mashonaland East Province, approximately , by road, southeast of Zimbabwe's capital city, Harare. This solar farm lies approximately , southeast of the

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

-fired ''Dema Thermal Power Station''.

Overview

The power station has a capacity of 20 megawatts, to be sold directly to ZESA for integration into the national electricity grid. The electricity is evacuated via a new , 132kV high voltage transmission line that transmits the power to the new 330kV substation at Dema Power Station, where it enters the national grid.

Developers

The power station was developed by a special purpose vehicle company, ''Harava Solar Limited'', specifically set up to develop, build and operate this solar power station. Harava Solar is a joint venture between the ''Seke Community'' and the Zimbabwean Ministry of Energy and Power Development.

Construction timeline, costs and funding

The cost of construction was budgeted at US$25 million, fully funded by the Zimbabwean government. The power station was expected to begin commercial operations in November 2021.

Controversy

In the second half of 2019, ''Soventix SA'' of Germany, the

engineering, procurement and construction Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts (a type of turnkey contract) are a form of contract used to undertake construction works by the private sector on large-scale and complex infrastructure projects. Overview Under an EPC co ...

(EPC) contractor stopped paying ''eXess Africa'' of South Africa, a sub-contactor on the project. When negotiations failed the matter was taken to court, with eXess Africa demanding over US$1 million in unpaid claims for installed capacity of 6MW and a substation. Harava Solar is counterclaiming material (steel pipes) removed from the site by the subcontractor's officials, when payment was not forthcoming. Work on the power station stalled in 2021.

References

External links

Website of Ministry of Energy and Power, Zimbabwe
{{Authority control Solar power stations in Zimbabwe Mashonaland East Province