Caledonia Mining, having raised the required funds to invest in the construction of a solar power plant to supply electricity to the Blanket gold mine in Zimbabwe, has appointed Voltalia as the contractor for the project.

Voltalia is an international renewable energy provider and has considerable experience in the delivery of renewable energy projects including the development, construction, operation and maintenance of solar power plants. It is already active notably in Burundi, Malawi and South Africa, according to the company.

Caledonia and Voltalia have agreed an initial design phase for the project after which, subject to the conclusion of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, procurement and construction are expected to begin with current indicated commissioning for the 12 MW solar plant in the December quarter of 2021.

On completion, the solar plant is expected to provide approximately 27% of the mine’s total electricity demand, significantly reducing the risk to the mine of any further deterioration in the quality of grid power which would necessitate increased use of diesel generators (which are substantially more expensive than grid power), the company said, adding that the plant will also reduce Blanket Mine’s environmental footprint.