Jul 18, 2025 (New Zimbabwe/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
Lowveld sugarcane producers are set to benefit from Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority's (ZESA) construction of a 330 kilovolt power line by its subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
ZETDC Acting Managing Director Abel Gurupira told a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce this Tuesday that a 330 kilovolt line from Mutare to Chiredzi is under construction.
Sugarcane farmers in the lowveld have had power shortages over the years due to the dilapidated power infrastructure in the area.
This development is expected to see an increase in sugarcane production.
Gurupira told the committee that ZETDC was already on site to install the much-needed line.
"We want to install a 330 kilovolt line from Orange Grove, which is in Mutare, to Triangle. This is a way to capacitate us to bring power from Mozambique, like from EDM, through Mutare, via that corridor, to Orange Grove, then to Triangle.
"We are already on the site and we are having supplies coming from another route, like from Mwangi, via Tokwe, to Triangle, because that line exists.
"The installation will increase the capacity within the low-field areas where we have a lot of farmers in desperate need of electricity", Gurupira said
Gurupira highlighted that ZETDC was working closely with wheat, tobacco and sugarcane farmers to make sure load shedding is minimised on their farms.
"We are working together with the winter wheat farming clusters, where we ensure that there is no load-shedding during the farming season.
"We are saying the same thing for the sugar industry. As long as the clusters are organised and they are irrigating, then we also ensure we ring fence so that there is no load-shedding for them," said Gurupira.
The company's Commercial Services manager John Chikeya bemoaned infrastructure vandalism, saying ZETDC was working towards the resuscitation of the vandalised and dilapidated infrastructure.
"This initiative seeks to enhance electricity reliability for sugarcane farmers and producers in Chiredzi.
"As ZETDC we are advancing a smart grid initiative which includes ithe nstallation of smart water reclosers and smart metres.
"The initiative also seeks to enhance electricity reliability for sugar millers and irrigators and ensure prioritised power supply during outages," Chikeya said.
Smart metres and MCCBs, which are motorised circuit breakers, enable segregation of the power supply.
This means ZETDC can select who will have power and who will not, and what quantum of power they will have during periods of suppressed generation.
The lowveld had been one of the most needy areas, identified for the solar initiatives.
ZETDC is envisaged to have a private sector setting up commercial and industrial solar plants to benefit the farming community who have good credit ratings.
Amongst other initiatives, ZETDC is also undertaking network rehabilitation and reinforcement and expansion to upgrade the old and aged infrastructure that was prone to a high rate of falls.
The substations were being reviewed and inspected and aligned to the poor demand of the low-yield.
"There is a 132 kv transmission line from Orange Grove to the low-yield that will be supporting the growth of the sugarcane value chain.
"There is also a scheduled upgrade for Chiredzi Town substation transformer 1 from 5 MVA to 10 MVA, which is a 100% increase in capacity. Then the resuscitation of Buffalo Range capacitor banks and resuscitation of Chiredzi Town L18 substation," said Chikeya.
Zaka South MP, Clemence Chiduwa chaired the Committee, which was receiving oral evidence on challenges that are affecting the sugar industry value chain in the country, among them, overpricing.
COMTEX_467423312/2029/2025-07-18T09:00:53
by Anna Chibamu
Copyright 2025 New Zimbabwe. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
