VICTORIA FALLS, Apr. 11 (NewsDay Live) – The Ministry of Energy and Power Development says it will work to lower the cost of doing business in the renewable energy sector by reevaluating and effectively benchmarking costs.
The ministry’s permanent secretary, Gloria Magombo said the issue of high costs will be resolved before next year’s conference.
Magombo was responding to concerns raised by independent power producers (IPPs) at the 6th International Renewable Energy Conference and Expo in Victoria Falls on Friday.
The oversubscribed conference was organised by The Standard in collaboration with the Energy and Power Development ministry.
“I would want to say that (the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority) Zera is looking into the costs and trying to efficiently benchmark the pricing as the regulator and we are sitting down with them as government so that this issue of high cost of business is addressed, especially given that government has opened up to say you can get an off-taker who is not the utility, and it i quite a critical issue for the debate,” she said.
“We have heard you, we will look at that so that next year it is taken as one of the issues, which will come and give a resolution on, to say how do we address this issue.
"I think I'm happy also with the fact that the issue of compatibility is being addressed, but not fully, and it keeps popping up.
“We need to sit around the table and address the issue.
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"I am happy that we are talking about it now.
"We want to make sure that when we go to the seventh edition that this issue will be addressed.
"So, we will also call on the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency to be part of the conversation as we move forward.
Magombo added: “If we need to decide as government to bring in costs which are lower as a way of encouraging investments, that will have to be made at a policy level, but it will happen, we have seen the costs which have been put on the table, and the process has to be transparent.
"So, we will be engaging with all the relevant parties.”
