JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Edenville Energy has received a formal request from the Tanzania Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MEM) for the company to proceed with the development of its 120 MW Rukwa coal-to-power project.
Earlier this year, the government released an updated power master plan, which included the project. This plan is now being progressively rolled out to provide further power generation and transmission for the country over the long term up to 2040.
The MEM has now indicated that a larger facility of up to 300 MW can be built at Rukwa, assuming technical, financial and commercial parameters can be satisfied.
Edenville has also received permission to upgrade and, where necessary, build a new access road that will connect the site with the main north-south sealed highway to the west of the project.
The road will be 16 km long and allow coal trucks to reach the site more efficiently than the current transport infrastructure and would also be used as part of the power plant access infrastructure. Work has started on the road, with completion expected by end-June.
CEO Rufus Short said the request was a significant step forward in the timeline for the development of the project. “It can now move forward, working alongside the Tanzanian authorities, to ultimately provide significant electricity expansion to the country.”