Platinum group-metals (PGMs) giant, Zimplats 35MW solar plant currently under construction in Selous, to augment power supply from the national grid has reached 86 percent completion with US$36 million spent to date against the project’s total cost of US$37 million.
The solar plant is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2025.
In its production and financial report, the mining house said subsequent phases will increase total solar power generation to 185MW.
“Construction of 35MW solar plant; first phase of the four-phase project is in progress at 86 percent completion. The project has now entered the testing and commissioning stage and is scheduled for grid connection in the first quarter of the financial year 2025. Subsequent phases will increase total solar power generation to 185MW,” reads part of the report.
The solar plant sits on 109 hectares with over 10 000 PV solar panels, with a yield of 550 Watts per square metre and six inverters.
Meanwhile, the platinum mining giants revealed that a total of US$387 million has been spent on the smelter expansion and SO2 abatement plant project, against a total budget of US$544 million.
The expanded smelter, incorporating the new 38MW furnace, will increase smelting capacity to more than one million ounces of 6E in converter matte per annum. Commissioning of the expanded smelter is scheduled for H1 FY2025.
A total of US$28 million of the budgeted US$190 million has been spent to date on refurbishing the mothballed base metal refinery at Selous.
Zimplat’s has several capital projects under execution under a US$1,8 billion investment plan.
These include the 35-megawatt solar plant project, which aims at augmenting grid supply.
Zimplats plans phased implementation of the project until it reaches a target production of 185 MW by around 2028, when current projects include the expansion of the smelter, concentrator, and other mine extensions.
In other projects, Zimplats is developing the Bimha and Mupani mines, the upgrade projects that will replace production from Rukodzi Mine, which was depleted in FY2022, and Ngwarati and Mupfuti mines, which will be depleted in FY2025 and FY2028, respectively.
The firm added that a total of US$28 million of the budgeted US$190 million has been spent to date on refurbishing the mothballed base metal refinery at Selous.
Zimplats said mined volumes increased by five percent to 7,9 million tonnes (FY2023: 7,6 million tonnes) benefiting from increased production volumes from the replacement mines.
Mined grade was negatively impacted by an increase in lower-grade development tonnages from Mupani Mine and dilution caused by traversing geological structures at the other mines, resulting in a one percent decline in the achieved 6E head grade to 3,32g/t.
In the period under review, notable production gains were achieved across the operation with a six percent and 20 percent increase in volumes mined at Bimha and Mupani mines respectively as these operations ramped up to design capacity.
Volumes at Mupfuti Mine declined by four percent in the period negatively impacted by trackless mining machinery availability.
Production from Ngwarati Mine was reduced by 20 percent, as the mine’s primary operations were depleted with operations ceasing in June 2024.
The pillar reclamation at Rukodzi Mine contributed five percent of the total ore mined in FY2024, while ground conditions remained stable.