Zimbabwe mining power demand set to hit 1 500MW

Zimbabwe's mining sector is projected to increase its electricity demand by 50 percent to more than 1 500 megawatts (MW) within the next 12 months, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet growing industrial power requirements.

The anticipated increase, from about 1 000MW, comes as mining companies expand mineral beneficiation and processing, placing additional pressure on an already constrained electricity supply system.

Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Caleb Makwiranzou said the mining industry was expanding faster than the country's capacity to provide reliable electricity, making closer coordination between the mining and energy ministries increasingly urgent.

"Mining is Zimbabwe's single largest electricity consumer. Demand is set to outpace current supply," he said.

Makwiranzou said on-grid electricity demand from mines had risen to approximately 1 000MW, from the previously reported 600MW to 700MW, reflecting increased production and processing activities.

Mining accounts for an estimated 16 to 20 percent of national electricity consumption and nearly 45 percent of combined industrial and mining demand.

The sector's power requirements are expected to grow further as Zimbabwe shifts towards processing more of its mineral resources locally rather than exporting raw materials.

Lithium concentrators, chrome and ferrochrome smelters, platinum group metal refining plants, gold milling facilities and expanded coal production are among the developments driving electricity demand.

"Intensive energy users, more than 100 mining and manufacturing firms forecast combined demand of about 4 000MW by 2030. Sector demand is projected to pass 1 550MW within 12 months, from 1 000MW in 2026 and 750MW in 2023/24, before reaching 4 000MW by 2030," Makwiranzou said.

He added that more than 600 new investment licences had been issued, with mining accounting for a significant share of the anticipated expansion in productive capacity.

However, the sector's growth prospects are being threatened by persistent power shortages, ageing generation and transmission infrastructure, fluctuations in water availability at Kariba Dam and the high cost of alternative electricity supplies.

Zimbabwe's electricity deficit is estimated at about 600MW, with dependable generation capacity ranging between 1 200MW and 1 600MW against peak demand of approximately 2 200MW.

The country spent US$881,7 million on imported electricity between January 2021 and March 2026, highlighting the financial burden of relying on regional power purchases to supplement domestic generation.

For mining companies, unreliable electricity increases operating costs and reduces production. About 10 percent of potential mining output is reportedly lost annually because of power interruptions, forcing companies to rely on expensive diesel generators or suspend operations when electricity is unavailable.

Electricity accounts for roughly a fifth of on-site production costs for many miners, making reliable and affordable power essential to the sector's competitiveness.

Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development is seeking closer cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Power Development to secure dependable electricity for mines and smelters that require continuous operations.

Proposals include ring-fenced electricity supplies for critical mining operations, joint demand forecasting, a clear framework for independent power producers and electricity wheeling, support for captive power generation, fair tariff and fuel allocation, and coordinated investment in the national grid and transmission infrastructure.

"We need a joint mechanism to keep planning aligned into 2027 and beyond," Makwiranzou said.

Under the proposed roadmap, the two ministries would establish a technical working group in the fourth quarter of 2026, complete a sector-wide energy-demand baseline in the first quarter of 2027 and agree on priority supply arrangements and independent power producer terms in the second quarter of 2027.

Electricity demand would subsequently be monitored quarterly to ensure that power-sector planning keeps pace with new mining projects and changing production requirements.

Makwiranzou said reliable, sector-specific data was critical to ensuring that investments in electricity infrastructure reflected the economy's actual needs.

"Without joint, sector-specific data, national planning risks under-building for actual mining demand," he said.