ZimGreenCo, Dolcin Trading sign 25-year power deal

STAFF WRITER
ZimGreenCo and Dolcin Trading have signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) at this year’s Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, paving the way for the development of one of Zimbabwe’s largest grid-connected solar projects.
The Dolcin Trading Project, being developed by South African renewable energy firm Sigma Solar Africa, will see the construction of a 50MWac solar photovoltaic (PV) plant near Chegutu in Mashonaland West Province.
The agreement builds on the successful implementation of a System Operations Agreement (SOA) signed in 2024 between GreenCo, through its Zimbabwean subsidiary ZimGreenCo Power Services (Private) Limited, and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
Under the arrangement, ZimGreenCo will purchase electricity generated by the plant and supply it to large industrial consumers across Zimbabwe. In turn, GreenCo will pay ZETDC for the provision of system operations services, demonstrating the viability of an open-access electricity market in the country.
Once completed, the Dolcin Trading facility will rank among Zimbabwe’s largest privately developed renewable energy projects connected to the national grid.
ZimGreenCo said its participation in the project underscores its commitment to strengthening Zimbabwe’s energy security through collaboration with private sector developers and the national utility.
“We have always believed that Zimbabwe’s energy security will be built on partnerships rather than the public purse alone, and on markets that allow private power to move to where it is needed most. This agreement shows that an open-access regime can work in practice, with a privately developed solar plant, a creditworthy offtaker and the national utility each playing their part,” ZimGreenCo Managing Director Lion Mashiri said.
“By signing a 25-year PPA on the back of our System Operations Agreement with ZETDC, we are demonstrating a replicable model for bringing new renewable generation onto the Zimbabwean grid and supplying the large energy users who underpin the country’s economy.”
Dolcin Trading Director Gareth P. Warner said the agreement provides the financial certainty required to move the project towards construction.
“A 25-year offtake agreement with a creditworthy buyer is what makes a project of this scale financeable. GreenCo’s structure gives our investors and lenders the long-term revenue certainty they need and allows the Dolcin Trading plant to advance towards construction and the delivery of clean power to Zimbabwean consumers,” Warner said.