Blanket Mine spends US$3m on alternative power sources

GWANDA-BASED mining concern Blanket Mine has spent approximately US$3 million on capital equipment to mitigate the problems arising from the poor electricity supply in the country, the company management has said.

In its latest management analysis report, Caledonia Mining Corporation which controls Blanket, said its unit in Gwanda had suffered from frequent and prolonged power outages due to load shedding.

“Since January 2018, Blanket has suffered 328 low voltage occurrences which have required the use of the diesel generators; low voltage occurrences in conjunction with load shedding have resulted in over 11 000 hours of genset use, consuming over 2,5 million litres of diesel at a cost of approximately US$2,5 million,” the company said.

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