500 MW Varun Beverage Solar Plant To Be Built

Varun Beverages Zimbabwe has announced the 500 MW Unnamed Solar Plant, backed by approximately USD 350 million in investment. The package unveiled during a ministerial visit also includes a clear beer manufacturing plant and a plastic recycling facility as the company looks to expand production capacity and diversify its product range in Zimbabwe.

Varun Beverages, its holding company RJ Corporation and partners INOX and SkyPower are committing approximately USD 350 million to the 500 MW Unnamed Solar Plant, CEO Vijay Kumar Bahl said. He also outlined plans to establish the clear beer manufacturing plant, expected to launch in the coming years, and a plastics recycling venture being developed with Geo Pomona.

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the government has allocated land for the beer plant and expects groundbreaking to follow, and he noted Varun Beverages currently operates 11 production lines making beverages, bottled water and snacks. "This is what Vision 2030 speaks to. Invite global players to be part of the upper-middle-income journey. Its not an event, its a journey, he said.

Bahl framed the investments as a sign of long-term commitment and highlighted the companys workforce, which directly employs about 2,000 people and supports roughly 13,000 indirect jobs through distributors, transporters, retailers, vendors, suppliers and service providers. "When Zimbabwe declared that it is open for business, many listened. We acted. And today I can stand here and say, with confidence, that Varun Beverages is a classic case of an investor doing well in Zimbabwe, he said.

Varun Beverages entered Zimbabwe via a greenfield bottling facility and has invested more than USD 100 million in the country to date. The company said it has agreed to withdraw its pushcarts from Harare's Central Business District to reduce congestion, will relocate traders to residential and industrial areas, has intensified an anti-littering campaign and recently added Mooju dairy-blend juice in 430 ml and one-litre packs to its portfolio.