Zimbabwe has begun initial gas-powered energy trials and is preparing to tap into regional markets following progress in hydrocarbon exploration at the Mukuyu oil and gas fields in Muzarabani, according to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
Responding to questions in Parliament last week, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Polite Kambamura, said government had recorded significant progress in gas exploration through Invictus Energy, which in 2023 confirmed the discovery of high-quality natural gas and traces of oil at the Mukuyu-1 and Mukuyu-2 at its Cabora Bassa project.
The Deputy Minister said preliminary tests had already been conducted to determine the viability of using locally produced gas to generate electricity.
“There have been some test works at Eureka Mine where they made trials to power the mine using gas,” Kambamura said.
“Government is finalising a production sharing agreement with Invictus, and the company is continuing exploration in other promising areas.
"However, the company is also going forward doing exploration in other areas, where they think they can also make some discoveries. So, it is still work in progress again, but we are looking forward to them making more discoveries in the Muzarabani basin for oil and gas."
Related Stories
The development marks the first tangible step toward utilising Zimbabwe’s gas resources for domestic energy generation.
Legislators had asked whether the government plans to use local gas reserves to substitute the country’s growing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) import bill, which has risen sharply in recent years due to high domestic demand.
In response, Kambamura said the Government was preparing a comprehensive hydrocarbon beneficiation and validation strategy to manage and process the gas and oil discovered in the Muzarabani basin.
“It is still early because commercial pumping has not yet started, they still need to build infrastructure, including pipelines and processing plants,” he explained.
“However, feasibility studies are underway, and Invictus has already identified potential markets across the Zambezi in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).”
The Deputy Minister said the government’s long-term plan included leveraging natural gas for power generation, industrial use, and domestic energy consumption, which would help reduce energy imports and improve national energy security.
Invictus Energy recently secured National Project Status for its Cabora Bassa Project from Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, marking it as a strategic initiative critical to Zimbabwe’s economic growth.
The company also finalised terms of the Petroleum Production Sharing Agreement (PPSA), which is now set for execution. Managing Director Scott Macmillan described these developments as pivotal milestones as the project advances toward the development phase.
Leave Comments