More and more countries are seeking to get rid of coal. Zimbabwe is opening new coal mines, which the authorities say will enable the country to meet its energy needs and eventually become an exporter of polluting fuels.

The government hopes to transform the northwestern region of Hwange into a coal hub, with private investors (mainly in China) investing up to $1 billion to build coking mines and thermal power plants. But environmentalists say the move is part of a larger plan to develop the mining industry into a $12 billion industry by 2023, which will increase the carbon emissions of Zimbabwe’s warming climate and harm the wild in its largest nature reserve. animal.

"Zimbabwe cannot reuse coal as it did in 1985 or 1977, and now the world is withdrawing funds from coal." said Khumbulani Maphosa, a climate change activist and director of the Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights. Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is converted into fuel for steel production and smelting.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube explained that in order to obtain Hwange's coking coal, mining companies must first store thermal coal, which is burned to generate energy. He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that any company that conducts mining operations in the area must also build a thermal coal-powered power station and supply electricity to the grid. "We expect that by 2025, all these mining companies will deliver large amounts of electricity to the grid, and Zimbabwe will have a surplus," he said.

Ncube estimates that Hwange’s new mining operations — nine of which have started or completed construction since 2018 — will add approximately 5,000 megawatts (MW) of surplus to Zimbabwe’s power capacity. However, Maphosa and other green activists warned that the southern African country is taking a path that is “environmentally unfriendly”, which will undermine efforts to slow global warming. Scientists have linked climate change to Zimbabwe’s worsening droughts, floods and unusual storms over the past few decades.

The employment problem is severe

"We will see an increase in our carbon footprint and our contribution to climate change, because it doesn't matter whether this coal is burned in Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, or anywhere else." Maphosa said in a telephone interview. In a tough report issued earlier in September 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change bluntly pointed out that the burning of fossil fuels by humans is one of the main drivers of global warming, and warned that it is too late to stop. Climate destruction in the coming decades.

"The alarm bell is deafening." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "This report must sound the death knell for coal and fossil fuels, lest they destroy our planet." According to the International Energy Agency, coal-fired power generation accounts for about 30% of global carbon emissions. However, despite coal being hailed as the dirtiest fuel, Richard Moyo, the Minister of State of Matabeleland’s Northern Province, where Hwange is located, said coal mining is vital to the region. "In terms of development, we really need the power of coal." He said.

According to the 2019 renewable energy policy, Zimbabwe’s power generation is about 1,000 megawatts, but it is always 700 megawatts lower than peak demand, which means it has to import shortfalls from South Africa and Mozambique. Moyo said the new mining operation will produce coking coal for domestic use and export, and is expected to release about 1,000 much-needed jobs in the province.

But Fidelis Chima, coordinator of the non-profit community organization Great Wenger Residents Trust (GWRT), said that when Zimbabwe only needs to find cleaner energy, there is no need to dig. He urged the country to focus on exploiting the "huge potential" of solar energy, using its annual average of 3,000 hours of sunshine-a more environmentally friendly method that could "position Zimbabwe as innovative", he added. In 2019, GWRT sued the government, forcing it to consider investing in clean energy instead of encouraging coal mining. According to Chima, the case is still in court.

GWRT focuses on the impact of mining on the famous wildlife sanctuary in Zimbabwe. Chima pointed out that Afrochine Energy, a subsidiary of Chinese steel giant Qingshan, has obtained a special mining concession for coal exploration near Hwange National Park, home to endangered black rhinos and African wild dogs. Afrochine spokesperson Oliver Mutasa confirmed that the company has obtained a permit to explore coal and other minerals in Hwange, but said it will stay away from the national park. "We are aware that if the mining industry invades such an area, we may face negative ecological impacts." He pointed out. In addition, environmentalists believe that the mining push is a step backwards from Zimbabwe's efforts to adopt more renewable energy.

Keywords: overseas engineering, international engineering construction, foreign engineering construction news

Zimbabwe has pledged to reduce its energy-related emissions by about one-third from projected normal levels by 2030, mainly by increasing renewable energy power generation-excluding hydropower-from about 5% now to about 5%. More than 25%. But climate activist Maphosa said that Zimbabwe relies on fossil fuels to drive growth and create jobs, so it is difficult to give up coal.Editor/XuNing