Zimphos to resuscitate plant
TINASHE MAKICHI
The Zimbabwe Phosphates (Zimphos), a unit of Chemplex Corporation, is planning to resuscitate its sulphuric acid plant to improve the company’s production capacity, Business Times can report.
Chemplex acting chief executive officer, James Chingwende, said the plant is expected to be completed next year.
However, he could not disclose the amount required to complete the project.
“I cannot be drawn on the financial demands of the project at the moment but this project is a priority and we are looking at finishing it by 2022. The whole idea around this project is for Zimphos to meet the fertiliser and water chemical needs,” Chingwende said.
ZimPhos is currently the country’s sole producer of phosphate fertilisers, aluminium sulphate for municipal water treatment, sulphuric acid and other industrial chemicals.
Chingwende said Chemplex was also pursuing other long-term projects including the construction of phosphoric acid plant and refurbishment of Zimphos plants, a move meant to improve the company’s production capacity. These, he said would require a huge investment and feasibility studies.
“The phosphoric acid plant project will require huge investment and time. Therefore, there will be a need for a feasibility study. This is a long term project,” Chingwende said.
The latest plans to revitalise fertiliser manufacturing plant comes after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in 2017 availed US$5m to Zimphos to recapitalise the company.
Zimphos has been struggling to raise operating capital while imports of fertiliser further exerted pressure on operations.
Its phosphate fertiliser production capacity has fallen to about 100 000 tonnes per annum from a peak of 250 000 tonnes in 2012. The decline was attributed to the severe impact of cheap imports as well as obsolete plant equipment.
