More than 4 000 households at Southview Fidelity Park are set to receive liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through Zimbabwe's first large-scale underground residential piped gas network, a development expected to transform how families access cooking energy while reducing dependence on electricity and firewood.
The project, being rolled out by Fidelity Life Assurance through Southview Energy Company, introduces a utility-based gas supply system that will deliver LPG directly to homes through underground pipelines, eliminating the need for residents to transport or refill gas cylinders.
According to Southview Energy Projects Director Weddie Makomichi, the project marks a major milestone in Zimbabwe's residential energy sector as demand for reliable and cleaner household energy continues to rise.
"The Southview piped gas project is a modern, centralised underground liquefied petroleum gas reticulation network designed to deliver clean, safe and continuous energy directly to thousands of residential homes," said Makomichi.
He said the system would operate much like water and electricity services, supplying gas through an underground distribution network connected directly to each household.
Makomichi said the project would remove the inconvenience of transporting gas cylinders while providing households with a safer and more reliable source of cooking energy.
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According to Makomichi, the first phase is expected to connect about 1 770 households by January 2027, while the remaining homes are scheduled to be connected by the end of 2027.
He said the development is the first large-scale residential piped LPG utility in Zimbabwe and among the largest in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Makomichi said the project would also create employment opportunities during both the construction and operational phases while supporting Zimbabwe's transition towards cleaner sources of energy.
"The project will improve access to clean energy through a utility-based billing model and help diversify Zimbabwe's energy mix by reducing reliance on the national electricity grid for cooking and water heating," he said.
He added that increased use of LPG would also reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal, helping to improve indoor air quality while contributing to environmental conservation.
According to Makomichi, the underground network has been designed to meet international engineering standards and Zimbabwean regulatory requirements.
He said the low-pressure system would include underground storage tanks, pipelines, smart sensors, telemetry technology, automatic shut-off mechanisms and smart meters to monitor consumption and support accurate billing.
Zimbabwe has seen growing demand for LPG in recent years as households and businesses continue searching for alternatives to unreliable electricity supplies and traditional biomass fuels.
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