President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to preside over the ground-breaking ceremony for the Palm River Energy and Metallurgical Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Beitbridge on Monday, February 24.
According to The Herald, the project has already employed 400 locals in its first year, with expectations to employ over 2,000 workers once fully operational.
The project, covering 5,100 hectares, includes a coking plant, a ferrochrome smelting plant, and a 1,200MW coal-fired power plant.
Surplus electricity will be supplied to the national grid, and the ferrochrome plant will support special and stainless steel production.
The first phase is a joint venture between the Government, Xintai Resources, and Tuli Coal, with coal sourced from Tuli Coal Mine for both local and international markets.
Mines and Mining Development Ministry deputy director of communications, advocacy and mining community sustainability, Wilfred Munetsi said preparations are complete for the President’s visit to Beitbridge. Said Munetsi:
We have covered a lot of ground in terms of planning and we are ready for the ground-breaking of the project by President Mnangagwa.
The project covers an area of 5,163 hectares and is planned to be constructed in five phases, with a total construction period of 12 years.
The construction period of the first phase of the project is two years, with a total investment of US$237 million, mainly used for the construction of an annual output of 200 000 tonnes of ferrochrome and supporting coal mines, coking, infrastructure and other projects.
In order to meet the raw materials required for production in the park, resource guarantee bases have been established in Tuli and Wanji respectively.
Munetsi said the Palm River Energy and Metallurgical SEZ, once completed, will become the world’s most cost-effective and competitive energy and metallurgical zone.
The project will focus on energy recycling, green power from photovoltaics, and using waste heat for power generation. This energy will be reused for industrial projects within the park.
In addition to creating thousands of jobs, Munetsi added that the project will provide technical training to Zimbabwean workers, enhancing their skills through technology transfer and practical experience.