The deadline for the tender is 30th June 2021. The objective is to select a company to carry out the detailed design, engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and commissioning tests of a 4.5 MWp solar photovoltaic plant. The facility will be located at 30 km from Chiredzi, a town in Masvingo province.
The solar project is being developed by The Malilangwe Trust, in partnership with Sustainable Agriculture Technology. The selected company will implement the project in several phases. In the 1st phase, the technical partner will build a 400 kWp unit with a 560 kWp Tesla Li-Ion battery storage system. The 1st unit will also have a step up transformer with all connections and a 33 kV power line.
The 2nd unit will have a capacity of 1.1 MWp. The electricity produced by both units will be sold to the private sector under a power purchase agreement. The 3rd phase of the project is for 3 MWp to be fed into the Zimbabwe Electricity and Distribution Company grid under an agreement with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority.
According to Renewable Now, the technical partner will also have the opportunity to invest in the solar plant through a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement, with the transfer taking place after 15 years. In phases I and II there is an option for a 47 per cent stake in the BOOT agreement and in phase III there is an option for a 33.3 per cent stake in the BOOT agreement.
