Name of the Project
Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) Energy and Metallurgical Cluster.

Location
Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, in Limpopo, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
The Limpopo Economic Development Agency – an agency of the provincial government.

Project Description
The project involves the establishment of an energy and metallurgical industrial park in the MMSEZ.

The SEZ programme is one of the initiatives identified by the South Africa government through the Industrial Policy Action Plan to boost the country’s industrialisation and manufacturing capacity.

The industrial park will include power, coking, ferrochrome, ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, pig iron metallurgy, lime, steel and stainless steel plants.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create about 22 000 jobs.

Capital Expenditure
A consortium, led by Hong Kong Mining Exchange, will invest more than R40-billion in the park.

Planned Start/End Date
The projects will be implemented over five years.

Latest Developments
The MMSEZ will, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launch a renewable-energy strategy in March.

The strategy will serve as a blueprint to guide investments in the province’s energy cluster while promoting sustainable development, Limpopo Premier Stanley Chupu Mathabatha noted during his State of the Province Address on February 23.

He added that the partnership with USAID would contribute to mitigating the impact of the nationwide energy crisis on the province and businesses.

The provincial government and municipalities are expected to include renewable-energy generation projects in their development plans.

“These plans must encapsulate the possible retrofitting of solar panels to all government buildings. This will have to be done in a way that will complement Eskom,” Mathabatha said.

“The provision of healthcare and education services should be amongst the first to be insulated from the electric power supply interruptions. And it is in this context that, as a start, I have mandated the MEC for Health to prioritise the installation of solar power at hospitals and clinics in the province,” he explained.

The availability of water is another concern for the province and the development of the Musina-Makhado SEZ.

Mathabatha said the Department of Water and Sanitation had given the Limpopo government the assurance that it would support the project with water in the short, medium and long term.

The Premier further reported that, following the approval of the environmental-impact assessment for the SEZ in July 2022, construction work had started on a portion of the SEZ with the laying of bulk infrastructure.

Further, 14 km of internal roads are also under construction.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Limpopo Provincial Government, tel +27 15 287 6000.