Construction of a 20MW solar power plant at Almid Private Limited, part of Zimbabwe's Jin An Group, has reached 60% completion in Gweru, according to a Herald report from a government delegation tour of the site. The plant is intended to supplement grid electricity supply for Jin An's ferrochrome operations and ease pressure on the national grid, forming part of a broader US$140 million energy investment by the group. That wider investment also includes plans for a 100MW captive power plant, targeted for completion by the end of 2027.
Jin An currently operates five ferrochrome furnaces requiring approximately 50MW to run at full capacity — meaning the 20MW solar installation alone would cover roughly 40% of that requirement, with the planned 100MW captive plant designed to close the remaining gap and provide capacity beyond current needs. Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Zhemu Soda toured the project alongside Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana, as part of a wider assessment of development projects across the Midlands province.
The progress is a concrete data point against a deadline flagged earlier this year by the International Chromium Development Association, which noted that Zimbabwe's government has given ferrochrome miners until the end of 2026 to develop their own captive power generation, primarily from renewable sources, ending a period of subsidised grid tariffs. With Jin An's solar phase now more than halfway complete and a larger captive plant slated for 2027, the company's timeline suggests captive power capacity will continue building well beyond this year's deadline — a reminder that for energy-intensive ferrochrome smelting, meeting Zimbabwe's self-generation push is likely to be a multi-year transition rather than a single milestone.
