Masvingo Residents Trust welcomes solar project
Masvingo Residents Trust has expressed delight at the announcement that German company Droege Energy is set to establish a floating solar system worth $USD 13million at Lake Mutirikwi in Masvingo.
The floating solar system will generate 10 megawatts of electricity for the province.
Masvingo Mayor, Councilor Collin Maboke and the Minister of State for Masvingo Province, Ezra Chadzamira have also concurred in a local daily publication that a project of this nature will go a long way in augmenting power supplies in the province.
The project will also ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity to the Masvingo City water works section.
“Masvingo Residents Trust also notes that an improvement in the supply of power will not only assist new industries in Masvingo but will enable irrigation projects to get sufficient energy supply and now defunct irrigation schemes like the Mushandike irrigation scheme have a chance to be revived ,” said a spokesman.
“It is also critical to note that Masvingo Province, just like the rest of Zimbabwe, has power problems and renewable and environmentally friendly sources of energy offer a cheap alternative in the form of solar powered electricity generation thus contributing to the building of a green provincial economy in Masvingo.
The spokesman said the project had the potential to create local jobs for young people in Masvingo.
“Masvingo Residents Trust therefore calls upon central government through the responsible ministry of Energy and Power Development to transparently facilitate the smooth implementation of the project .
“In the past similar renewable energy projects were attempted by various investors locally and internationally at Lake Mutirikwi but nothing ever materialized due to questionable bottlenecks imposed by various government departments in the province and at national level,” the spokesman said.
“We therefore call upon central and local government authorities to prioritize this project and ensure that it is implemented to benefit the people of Masvingo Province.”
Masvingo Residents Trust commended the good working relations between the Minister of State’s office and the Masvingo City Council on this project despite, the fact the city is controlled by the MDC Alliance and the provincial government is controlled by Zanu PF, a situation which had the potential of sending a strong massage in support of depolarization and de-politicization of local government and public policy processes in Masvingo Province.
