Covid-19 holds Kalahari Geothermal Power project

LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes  THE multi-million dollar Kalahari Geothermal Power Project in Bweengwa constituency of Southern Province has virtually come to a standstill because of the measures aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Kalahari Geo Company director Moses Banda said the operations had been affected because of the pandemic. Speaking when the minister of Energy Mathew Nkuwa and other government officials visited the project Dr Banda assured them that the project was on course though the time line had changed. Dr Banda said that the company had engaged drilling and engineering consultants from Australia, New Zealand and USA, but they were unable to come because of the travel restrictions in the fight of the pandemic.  He explained that planes were not moving making it difficult for the consultants to come to Zambia and that Emirate flights promised to commence flights soon. “The second challenge is the part were those coming into the country are been quarantined for two weeks before they can start working,   We are happy that President Edgar Lungu lifted some restrictions on the tourism industry we are hoping by June flights can start coming in, and some of the restrictions would have been removed such as the 14day quarantine period so that in the next few weeks we can recommence drilling,” he said.  Dr Banda said a pilot power generation project was scheduled to start this year September but the project had been altered and would only be confirmed once the crew moves back on site. He said the crew usually moved on site in March after the rains but they were not sure, when they would go back and that it was important that they put measures to ensure that workers were safe from the pandemic. Dr Banda said that the Energy Company has secured US$3.2 million loan from CAMCO Green Energy a renewable energy investment promotion agency funded by the British Government for its next phase of drilling.  “From the time the project started Kalahari GeoEnergy Ltd has privately financed the project which has seen them drill 18 exploratory wells and that the loan facility will help them complete the next phase of the project. “The convertible loan facility from CAMCO will enable us to drill and test additional slim wells to determine the capacity of the reservoir,” he said.  Dr Banda said that the once project was complete it would give sustainable energy to the grid which would be a positive step towards the country meeting its development targets, while the secondary uses of geothermal energy would attract investment into the district. “With the country grappling with challenges in the Energy sector which has seen extended hours of load management, the pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time,  “Geothermal to Zambia’s energy mix will allow for a renewable source of base load capacity and have a potentially transformative impact on both the country and the region by facilitating the expansion of geothermal energy generation in the region,” he said. The Sun