HDF Energy signs MoU with Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission & Distribution Company
On March 23, 2023, Hydrogène de France ("HDF Energy") signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) to develop the country's first large-scale green hydrogen power plant, the Middle Sabi Renewstable. The signing ceremony was presided over by Zimbabwean President E. D. Mnangagwa at the International Renewable Energy Conference in Victoria Falls.
The Middle Sabi Renewstable, which HDF Energy is developing in the Chipinge District of Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province, is a renewable energy plant that will feed green power into the grid 24/7, reducing transmission losses and providing electricity to over 220,000 residents annually. The plant will be located in a multi-project, multi-technology, multi-investor renewable energy technology park, the Chipangayi RETPark, which has been under development since 2016.
The MoU sets out a framework for joint technical and administrative work to complete the development of the green hydrogen power plant and its commercialization through a dedicated Power Purchase Agreement. It will also promote the development of technical green hydrogen skills in Zimbabwe and contribute to the GDP growth of Manicaland, which has one of the lowest provincial GDPs per capita in Zimbabwe.
The Middle Sabi Renewstable will enhance the country's ability to expand its solar rollout program without risking instability to the grid while achieving its energy decarbonization targets. Zimbabwe's government plans to support the development of over 1,000 MW of solar projects by Independent Power Producers to narrow the severe energy deficit the country currently faces. However, additional renewable baseload capacity is required to prevent challenges introduced to the grid by intermittent sources of power generation such as wind and solar. The on-demand characteristics of the Middle Sabi Renewstable will help to sustain domestic power generation and reduce exposure to imported fuels, price volatility, and associated supply risks by using local sources of energy.
You can read the HDF Press release here:-
Press release HDF Energy - ZETDC-final_EN
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