- Chariot and the French company Total Eren continues in Zimbabwe following a signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with Karo Mining Holdings.
- The solar power plant will allow Karo Mining Holdings to reduce its energy costs while minimising its environmental impact.
The partnership between the British company Chariot and the French company Total Eren continues in Zimbabwe following a signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with Karo Mining Holdings. This company operates the Karo platinum mine. The contract covers a 30 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant that Total and Chariot will build in the Mashonaland West province.
Operations at the Karo mine were officially launched on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, in the presence of the Zimbabwean authorities, covering an area of 23,000 hectares approximately 80 km southwest of the capital Harare and 35 km southeast of Chegutu. Karo Mining Holdings, the operator of the Karo platinum mine, is majority owned by Tharisa, a mining company based in Paphos, Cyprus.
The solar power plant will allow Karo Mining Holdings to reduce its energy costs while minimising its environmental impact. However, according to Bernard Pryor, its managing director, the partnership with the two renewable energy suppliers is part of Karo Mining’s sustainable development strategy. The solar project Chariot and Total Eren developed for the Karo mine targets an initial installed capacity of 30 MWp, with a potential expansion to 300 MWp. The deputy managing director and global head of business development at Total Eren, Fabienne Demol, said, “Our solar project will allow Karo Platinum Mine to be powered by low-carbon electricity during its operating life, thereby reducing its carbon footprint”.