Indian Firm to Explore for CBM in Zimbabwe

Indian state owned firm Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) has been awarded a tender to explore for coal bed methane the Lupane area, Matabeleland North province of Zimbabwe.

The government of Zimbabwe issued the tender last year, The Herald newspaper reported. The gas produced will be used in power generation.  

Industry experts say Lupane holds vast deposits of coal-bed methane gas, some of it estimated to be 95 percent pure, hidden between the area and neighbouring Botswana, the newspaper reported.

"Wapcos carried out feasibility studies for Gairezi Project in the Eastern Highlands and has been tasked to carry out exploration studies for coal-bed methane in Lupane for the production of 250MW of electricity," Zimbabwe Power Company said in a statement.