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Energy News Network Industry news Mining & Minerals Caledonia’s Blanket Mine plans a 132kV grid link as power reliability outweighs cost
Mining & Minerals

Caledonia’s Blanket Mine plans a 132kV grid link as power reliability outweighs cost

3rd November, 2026

Mzi Chizura, Business Improvement Manager at Caledonia Holdings Zimbabwe, tells ENN’s Let’s Talk Energy podcast why reliable electricity matters more to a mine than its price, and how Caledonia is building a steadier supply for Blanket Mine around solar generation and a new connection to the national grid.

Caledonia has approved US$14.2m for a 34km power line connecting Blanket Mine, a gold mine in southwest Zimbabwe that has operated for more than 120 years, to the country’s 132kV grid, and expects the line to steady supply and cut the mine’s reliance on diesel generation.

Speaking on Let’s Talk Energy, ENN’s podcast with The Electricity Hub, Chizura said reliability often matters more to a mine than the price of electricity, because even a short interruption can cost hours of lost production, while diesel backup can cost several times more than power from the grid.

Power disruptions weighed on Blanket’s operations last year, when the mine produced 76,213 ounces of gold, according to the company’s results, and Caledonia’s answer combines solar generation and power purchase agreements with the new grid connection to support the mine as its operations expand.

Zimbabwe’s gold and lithium sectors are drawing growing interest from investors, and Chizura argued on the podcast that mining demand could become the catalyst for new power generation and transmission across the Zambezi region, provided utilities, independent power producers, financiers and policymakers work more closely together.

The full conversation, recorded ahead of the Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit in Livingstone next week, can be heard on ENN and on The Electricity Hub’s Green Circle podcast platform.

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Charlotte Lamb
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