Shumbas pioneering fuel plant inches forward

Should it come to fruition, the ambitious project, planned to be located at Mabesekwa near Francistown, would be powered by a one billion tonne resource of coal and produce 20,000 barrels of diesel and 5,000 of petrol per day when fully functional.

Shumba has partnered with PowerChina International Group and Wison Group, major Chinese energy players involved in construction as well as engineering. On Tuesday, Shumba managing director, Mashale Phumaphi told BusinessWeek that the proposed plant was receiving positive interest from both potential financiers and offtakers.