RJ Corp has formally positioned Zimbabwe as a key entry point into its continental renewable energy strategy, announcing a 500MW solar power project in partnership with INOX Clean Energy and SkyPower.
The project forms part of what the companies describe as a “10+ Gigawatt Renewable Energy Platform to Accelerate Industrial-Scale Solar Deployment Across Africa,” signalling ambitions well beyond a single-country investment.
Under the Zimbabwe component, the partners state: “As a primary step under this strategic initiative, RJ Corp, through the joint venture, is investing in a 500 MW solar power project in Zimbabwe.” The development is framed as aligning with Vision 2030 and supporting energy security.
However, while the headline figure is 500MW, implementation will be phased, with an initial 200MW expected to commence first. For Zimbabwe, where electricity demand frequently outstrips supply and thermal generation remains constrained by aging infrastructure, the key question is not headline capacity, but bankability, grid integration and tariff structure.
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SkyPower noted the financing dimension, stating: “Reliable, contracted, bankable power is the foundation of economic transformation.”
This signals that power purchase agreements and sovereign guarantees will likely underpin the project’s viability, an area that has stalled previous large-scale Independent Power Producer projects in Zimbabwe.
RJ Corp Chairman Ravi Jaipuria added that “sustainability remains central to our growth strategy,” linking the project to broader decarbonisation and industrial expansion goals across Zimbabwe, Zambia and the DRC.
Zimbabwe has licensed several solar IPPs in the past decade, yet few have reached financial close.
If this 500MW platform secures funding and begins construction on schedule, it would represent one of the largest private-sector renewable energy commitments in the country’s history, and a real test of Zimbabwe’s investment climate in the power sector.
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