Binga power station

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Binga power station is a power station in Lusulu, Binga, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe with multiple units of varying statuses none of which are currently operating. It is also known as Lusulu power station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Binga power station	Lusulu, Binga, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe	-17.616667, 27.333 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Phase III	cancelled	coal - unknown	700	ultra-supercritical	–	–
Unit 1A	shelved	coal - unknown	350	ultra-supercritical	2022	–
Unit 1B	cancelled	coal - unknown	350	ultra-supercritical	–	–
Unit 2	cancelled	coal - unknown	350	ultra-supercritical	–	–
Unit 3	cancelled	coal - unknown	350	ultra-supercritical	–	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner
Phase III	PER Lusulu Power [100.0%]
Unit 1A	PER Lusulu Power [100.0%]
Unit 1B	PER Lusulu Power [100.0%]
Unit 2	PER Lusulu Power [100.0%]
Unit 3	PER Lusulu Power [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Lusulu coal field

Financing

• Source of financing: US$950 million in debt finance via Sinosure Buyers Credit Facility with Bank of China (proposed in 2015-2018)

Background

In 2012, a French consortium was granted a licence by the Zimbabwean government to build a US$3 billion thermal power plant in the country. The 2,000 MW power station would be situated in the Lusulu coal fields at Binga, in the Matabeleland North province of Zimbabwe. The coal fields have an estimated 1.2 billion tonnes of coal reserves. The expected commissioning date was 2016.

PER Lusulu Power was the company pursuing the project. In August 2014, its CEO said the company had bought coal plants from the European company EDF and would be transporting them to Zimbabwe to construct the power station. Construction was planned to begin in 2015, with four units with 500 MW capacity each. Unit 1 was planned for operation in 2018.

In July 2015, it was reported that Lusulu Power secured a US$950 million loan from China and signed an EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) agreement with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) for the first phase of a 600-MW coal-fired power plant, for a plant that was eventually planned to reach 2,000 MW. Construction of phase one was planned to begin in early 2016 at a cost of US$1.1 billion. Commissioning was planned for 2019 and was to include construction of roads, transmission lines, and related infrastructure.

As of May 2017, the project had changed to 2,100 MW: phase 1A of 350 MW; phase 1B of 350 MW; phase 2 of 700M W; and phase 3 of 700 MW. The total development cost of the phase 1A project was estimated to be US$1 billion. The company's website stated that the following milestones have been completed:

• Power Generation Licence Concession.
• Transmission licence.
• PER has been accorded to be a project of national status.
• Implementation Agreement with the Government have been granted and signed.
• The Environmental Social Impact Assessment has been approved.
• Coal Supply Agreements have been signed with the Coal Supplier.
• Water supply has been agreed.

In May 2018, the company's website stated that financial close and construction of Phase 1A (350MW) would take place in H2 of 2019, with commissioning planned for H2 of 2022 and commercial generation in Q1 of 2023. As of June 2019, the information on the website had not been updated in over a year.

In December 2019, PER Lusulu's website said the power project "has made significant progress towards achieving financial close" with both financial close and construction targeted for H2 2020, and commissioning by H2 2023.

In June 2021 and December 2021, PER Lusulu's website did not have any additional updates.

Given China's September 2021 commitment to stop all overseas coal financing, the power station seems unlikely to reach financial close and be finalized.

With no significant known developments on phase 1A since December 2019, it appeared shelved.

With no known updates related to phase 1B (350 MW), phase 2 (700 MW), and phase 3 (700 MW), they appeared shelved or cancelled.

In March 2022, Reuters reported that plans, which had been planning on Chinese backing, were "up in the air" according to PER Lusulu Power.

According to reporting from July 2023, Zimbabwe's energy minister stated that the power station project was still seeking funding.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.