Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Victoria Ruzvidzo
15 November 2007
Harare — Government will today launch Zimbabwe's first commercial biodiesel plant set to ease the current fuel shortages significantly.
The plant, the first of its kind in Africa and only one of the five in the whole world, is the brainchild of joint efforts between the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and Korean investors who developed the technology.
It uses oil seeds for feedstock, and can process sunflower, jatropha, cotton seed and soya to produce biodiesel, an esterised (chemically converted) form of vegetable oils. Jatropha is likely to be the major feedstock at the moment.
The biodiesel, which burns just like petroleum diesel in unmodified diesel engines, can be mixed with petroleum diesel or burned on its own. Initial production is likely to be at least enough to cope with demand in the agricultural sector. Zimbabwe has been pursuing alternative sources of fuel, taking a cue from growing concerns the world over about the sustainability of petroleum fuels on the back of dwindling global reserves and the need to reduce net emissions of carbon dioxide.
Biodiesel production recycles the carbon between plants and vehicles, only the losses in the cycle adding to atmospheric load. Crude oil prices, currently averaging US$96 per barrel, are expected to breach $100 before the end of the year, a situation that would translate into a higher fuel bill for Zimbabwe.
Finishing touches were yesterday being put on the project, funded by RBZ. Sources close to the development were yesterday upbeat that it would transform Zimbabwe's economy in a big way.
The country's dependency on imported fuels is a major constraint to virtually all economic activities, particularly the agrarian reform programme as Government drives the mechanisation programme whose success also hinges on fuel availability. The project is a culmination of years of research. In 2004, RBZ commissioned a biodiesel project at the Harare Polytechnic under which it procured a test vehicle, bio-reactor chemicals and other logistical support facilities, culminating in the "convincing" certification that biodiesel was a feasible option for Zimbabwe.
"Barely three years down the road, this dream has been nurtured to manifest into a fully-fledged commercial plant that every Zimbabwean should be proud of," commented one source. The project will not just benefit the fuel sector, but is expected to have a positive impact on the rest of the economy as well through the creation of synergies.
Farmers are set to benefit from this development through an expanded ready market for oil seeds. Industry in general and the motoring public are also expected to operate better after the launch.The plant is being commissioned just in time for the festive season and the beginning of the summer cropping season, periods during which demand for fuel is very high.
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