Electricity
Currently, the ethanol plant has the capacity to produce up to 18 MW of electricity, generated by steam from the boiler. This is adequate to electrify the entire south eastern region of Zimbabwe, up to Muture. The steam is produced from the burning of bagasse, or sugarcane fibre, and is therefore generated as long as the factory is producing ethanol. The plant effectively powers itself, utilising approximately 3MW electricity and leaving the balance to be exported. A 50km power line, financed jointly by Green Fuel and the ZETDC, costing approximately $2.5million, has been built to enable Green Fuel to export “green” electricity from this plant to the rest of Zimbabwe.
Plans are in place for an additional boiler and heavy-duty generator to increase electricity production to 53MW in the immediate future and, at the final stages of the project, 225MW of electricity will be generated from ethanol production, powering over 225,000 homes with green, sustainable electricity.