coal rich Zim imports coal

HARARE, Zimbabwe Drastic coal shortages despite massive natural deposits have had a ripple effect throughout Zimbabwe's economy and ruined a deal to renovate the country's biggest steelworks, the government has acknowledged.

The energy crisis adds to the economic woes of Zimbabwe, which is already suffering from acute shortages of fuel and many basic commodities....(it is making it impossible to manufacture steel)...

Zimbabwe has estimated reserves of 30,000 million tons of coal, enough to last the nation 6,000 years at self-sufficient 1995 consumption of 5 million tons a year, according to geological studies. The deposits are the biggest in quality coal in southern Africa.

Daily power outages in homes and industries have been worsened by the closure of coal-fired generators across the country. Zimbabwe imports 40 percent of its power from its neighbors.

(the coal shortage is making it impossible to brew beer, bake bread, etc....and is due to lack of equipment and spare parts and cash flow problems).

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