"All Set For Hwange Unit 8 Synchronisation On 16 May"
The Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 8 is set to be synchronised on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, with tests underway to ensure that the process is undertaken successfully.
Unit 8 is expected to add another 300 megawatts to the national grid once fully operational.
The planned synchronisation of Unit 8 comes a few months after Unit 7 was successfully synchronised with the national grid and started feeding electricity.
Minister of Energy and Power Development Zhemu Soda recently told the media that Unit 8 will be connected to the national grid on 16 May. He said:
Engineers are on the ground working on various tests to make sure everything is in order for a successful synchronisation of Unit 8 with the national grid.
It is the same procedure that was undertaken before the synchronisation of Unit 7 on 20 March 2023.
What we are observing is that the synchronisation will go as planned.
The Sunday News reported sources close to the project on Saturday as saying tests were underway to ensure smooth synchronisation. Said a source:
Engineers are on the ground working on various tests to make sure everything is in order for a successful synchronisation of Unit 8 with the national grid.
It is the same procedure that was undertaken before the synchronisation of Unit 7 on 20 March 2023.
What we are observing is that the synchronisation will go as planned.
Hwange Unit 7 which is still undergoing commissioning tests has successfully completed the reliability run.
Engineers took it off the grid on Thursday for evaluation of all systems which was supposed to be 168 hours.
I am sure that time has lapsed so engineers will advise when it will be returned to the grid for the final phase of commissioning which is the performance and guarantees test. After these tests, it is expected to be available commercially in mid-June.
The Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion Project involves the construction of two new units, Units 7 and 8, which will have a combined capacity of 600MW.
The project is being funded through a loan from China Exim Bank, with Sinohydro Corporation acting as the EPC contractor.
The project is expected to cost approximately $1.4 billion and was initially scheduled for completion in 2022 but was delayed due to COVID-19.
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