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Hippo Valley gets priority power supply
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Hippo Valley Estates Limited, one of Zimbabwe's major sugar producers, is among a select group of companies receiving priority electricity supply from Zesa Holdings for assisting the utility in servicing a US$210 million loan from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The loan, secured earlier this month, is aimed at modernising Zimbabwe's ageing power infrastructure, including upgrading the transmission grid, rolling out smart meters, improving monitoring via the Scada system, and importing electricity to bridge a persistent supply deficit. Currently, the Zimbabwe Power Company produces 1,219 megawatts daily against a demand of 1,800 MW.
Hippo Valley Chief Executive Officer Tendai Masawi said the company has signed a secure power agreement with Zesa, ensuring that it is among the last to be affected by load shedding. "We are part of the few that have that agreement because we help service an Afreximbank loan where we pay, and from that we are given priority in terms of being switched off," Masawi said, noting that during the crushing period, the estate relies heavily on electricity for irrigation.
The sugar producer also generates power from bagasse, a fibrous by-product of sugarcane, which fuels turbines producing up to 29-30 MW. Half of this electricity runs the factory, some powers the estate and pump houses, while the remaining 5-10 MW is fed into the national grid under a power banking arrangement. During the off-crop season, when bagasse is unavailable, Hippo Valley relies more on Zesa's supply.
The company's energy efficiency has improved, with nine tonnes of bagasse generating one megawatt per hour in 2025, compared to 10 tonnes in 2024. Hippo Valley also used 12,646 tonnes of coal during the year, achieving an average consumption of 0.30 MWh of electricity per tonne of sugar, slightly better than the previous year's 0.32 MWh.
Hippo Valley produced 219,112 tonnes of sugar in the year ended March 31, 2025, a 13% increase from 2024, reflecting the company's operational growth amid ongoing power challenges in Zimbabwe.
The loan, secured earlier this month, is aimed at modernising Zimbabwe's ageing power infrastructure, including upgrading the transmission grid, rolling out smart meters, improving monitoring via the Scada system, and importing electricity to bridge a persistent supply deficit. Currently, the Zimbabwe Power Company produces 1,219 megawatts daily against a demand of 1,800 MW.
Hippo Valley Chief Executive Officer Tendai Masawi said the company has signed a secure power agreement with Zesa, ensuring that it is among the last to be affected by load shedding. "We are part of the few that have that agreement because we help service an Afreximbank loan where we pay, and from that we are given priority in terms of being switched off," Masawi said, noting that during the crushing period, the estate relies heavily on electricity for irrigation.
The sugar producer also generates power from bagasse, a fibrous by-product of sugarcane, which fuels turbines producing up to 29-30 MW. Half of this electricity runs the factory, some powers the estate and pump houses, while the remaining 5-10 MW is fed into the national grid under a power banking arrangement. During the off-crop season, when bagasse is unavailable, Hippo Valley relies more on Zesa's supply.
The company's energy efficiency has improved, with nine tonnes of bagasse generating one megawatt per hour in 2025, compared to 10 tonnes in 2024. Hippo Valley also used 12,646 tonnes of coal during the year, achieving an average consumption of 0.30 MWh of electricity per tonne of sugar, slightly better than the previous year's 0.32 MWh.
Hippo Valley produced 219,112 tonnes of sugar in the year ended March 31, 2025, a 13% increase from 2024, reflecting the company's operational growth amid ongoing power challenges in Zimbabwe.
Source - The Standard
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