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daily fuel needs in addition to contributing to the national electricity grid when fully operational, a senior Government official has said.
Deputy Chief Secretary to the Pre-sident and Cabinet Retired Colonel Christian Katsande said this on Wednesday after touring the plant and sugarcane estates in Middle Sabi with Permanent Secretaries of various ministries.
Experts say Zimbabwe requires about 1,5 million litres of fuel per day and around 270 million litres in six months.
The plant, which is being constru-cted under a joint venture between the Government and a private firm Green Fuel, is expected to produce 850 000 litres of fuel daily when fully operational in 2014.
The first phase of the US$600 million project is likely to be commi-ssioned in June and the plant will produce 40 000 litres of ethanol this year.
It will contribute about 18,5 mega-watts of electricity this year.
In 2014, it is anticipated that the plant will be churning out 45MW, with 35MW going to the national grid while the other 10 will be used at the plant and sugar estate.
Said Rtd Col Katsande: “This is one of the key capital investment projects that are being championed by Government together with the private sector.
“There are many others in the infrastructural sector as well that we are looking at and these will contribute immeasurably, immensely, to our fight against economic sanctions that are bedevilling this economy.
“At this plant we can see that we can produce not only fuel products, but power as well and fertiliser that will go back in the fields.
“There may be one or two other by-products that may come out as well and all these combined will really take us to a level where we minimise the impact of economic sanctions.”
He said the ethanol plant was testimony of the success of public-private partnerships.
Arda owns the sugar estate.
Rtd Col Katsande said the project created employment and had benefited the local people in line with Government policy on rural development.
Green Fuel general manager Mr Graeme Smith slammed the illegal Western sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying they adversely affected pro-gress when they wanted to buy centre pivots for irrigation from the United States.
He said the centre pivots were now locally manufactured and they wanted to ensure that all required equipment could be made in Zimbabwe.
Mr Smith said, “Next year we expect to produce 350 000 litres of fuel a day and in 2013 we hope to produce 500 000 litres per day.
“This should reach 850 000 litres per day in 2014.
“To achieve this we need 11 500 hectares of sugarcane this year and 16 000 hectares next year and 21 000 by the end of 2013.”