Almot Maqolo, Staff Writer 
GWERU-BASED ferrochrome processor Zimbabwe Alloys Limited (ZimAlloys) says it is working on developing a 15-megawatt solar plant at its factory to alleviate the impact of power outages on its operations.
Once a dominant player in the country’s ferrochrome industry, ZimAlloys experienced a downturn at the turn of the millennium resulting in it being placed under judicial management in 2013.
However, following its 2021 acquisition by Kuvimba Mining House (KMH) which is under Zimbabwe’ sovereign fund — Mutapa Investment Fund and the subsequent recapitalisation — the company is gradually on a rebound.
But the country’s heightened power cuts as a result of a major fault at Hwange are freaking out business, amid rising lost production time and operational costs.
ZimAlloys managing director, Deric Dube in an interview said the impact of power cuts is “quite heavy” but alternatives are being explored. This comes as most of the heavy machinery cannot be run with diesel-powered generators.
“It is very important for energyintensive businesses like ourselves to come up with certain strategies to generate their own power, at least to kind of give some relief to the utility given all the challenges that are there at the moment,” he said.
We are pursuing a solar option. Again, a lot of this is under a non-disclosure agreement. “We are also exploring a little bit in the wind and renewable space because that’s really our target—to try and keep a green footprint and reduce our carbon footprint as a business here.”
ZimAlloys has so far spent US$7 million, which is spread between recapitalisation and restart of old furnaces, as well as equipment acquisition.
The firm targets to produce 120 000 tonnes per year of high-carbon ferrochrome production and then to restart all the other smelting operations. Ferrochrome prices had been firm and were expected to remain high as the global economy continues to recover from a Covid-19-induced slump.
Currently, it is producing about 8 000 metric tonnes of chrome concentrates on a monthly basis. ZimAlloys has three high-carbon ferrochrome furnaces but also has a complex for low-carbon ferrochrome and ferro manganese production.
