Government targets 26,6% renewable power

THE Government is targeting a renewable energy installed capacity of 26, 5 percent of total output from domestic power generation by 2030, a senior official has said.

Secretary for Energy and Power Development, Dr Gloria Magombo, said this had been provided for in the Renewable Energy (RE) policy of 2019 in pursuit of a low carbon economy.

She also indicated the target was in line with revised National Determined Contributions (NDC) targets for Zimbabwe of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

She said Zimbabwe should in future seek to move away from fossil fuel production and embracing renewable energy to achieve climate change mitigation goals.

In her acceptance letter to a financing climate change adaptation investment conference invitation extended from news publication Business Weekly and Financial Markets Indaba Dr Magombo said the ministry was crafting mechanisms to promote alternative power solutions to move away from traditional energy sources known for high carbon discharge.

She said the energy sector was critical in driving growth across the economy, as such, her ministry had come up with incentives to encourage the participation of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in renewable energy generation.

"May I point out that while in adjusting to climate change, the ministry is committed to promoting the development of climate-resilient infrastructures such as transmission and distribution lines, the energy sector is more of mitigation than adaptation with renewable technologies, alternative solutions and efficiency central in low carbon development pathways," she said.

"In pursuit of climate change mitigation goals, green growth and development and sustainable production and consumption, it is imperative that the development of the energy sector being demand-driven, should move away from fossil fuel production and embrace renewable energy for a low carbon footprint economy," said Dr Magombo.

Energy-efficient technologies, Dr Magombo said, promote energy savings for both the industrial and domestic sectors consequently massive efforts are being established to tap into solar power potential.

"The ministry acknowledges the important role that IPPs and private sector investments have in the development of the energy sector and has set some incentives including the RE policy, national project status, prescribed asset status, tax and rebates," she said.

Zimbabwe is weighing immediate ways to come up with alternative power sources following global calls to digress from coal-fuelled power plants under the "no new coal agenda".

A number of IPPs have shown interest in partnering power utility companies with intentions to take more households off the main grid, which translates to more energy allocation towards industry and other productive sectors.

Zimbabwe finds itself in a catch 22 as one of its leading funders of coal power projects, China appears to now heed calls for "no new coal agenda", which may reduce its financing schemes to coal dependent jurisdictions.

According to Climate trade, Zimbabwe is ranked number 100 on the carbon emissions list in the world contributing 0,03 percent of the world's share, while 10 countries produce most of the emissions measured in millions of tons of carbon dioxide in 2019.

The efforts to promote renewable energy are motivated by the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13) which calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.