Published: 18 March 2018

Listed crocodile venture firm, Padenga Holdings has set up a solar power plant at a cost of $1,8 million at its Kariba establishment.

The solar plant is currently generating 300 kilowatts with an additional 500 kilowatts expected to be generated before year end.

Padenga Holdings Operations Executive, Mr Charles Boddy said the company will use about 1 mega watt of the total power to be generated, while the remaining 200 kilowatts will be fed into the national grid.

We originally planned for our consumption but we will feed excess power into the national power grid. The equipment to see the project to completion has already been shipped from Europe except for components that have to be supplied from South Africa," he said.

The Minister of State for Mashonaland West, Webster Shamu said the project is a good example of the seriousness some companies have in long term investments.

He took a swipe at brief case companies that are interested in winning tenders yet fail to deliver even after being advanced millions of dollars for power generating projects.

"This is a demonstration of what investment is all about. We should not allow briefcase companies to get tenders for projects like this one. Some people say they need vast lands for similar projects but look here, this company has managed to utilise the little land it has for the solar project at a low cost" he said.
- zbc

You might also want to read this

• Padenga in bid to improve crocodile skins quality
• 39 solar power projects get nod
• Chivayo reaches to Mnangagwa over solar project
• BCC mulls setting up mini solar farms
• $52m for Gwanda solar
• Newly-installed CBZ solar street lights stolen
• Govt orders use of solar geysers
• Crocodile skin prices buoy Padenga
• Padenga applies for power generation licence