Hwange Power Station Resumes Electricity Generation

ZESA Holdings said most of the units at Hwange Power Station have been restored to service following “a system disturbance” on Wednesday morning that resulted in the loss of generation.

In an update on the current situation at at the thermal power plant issued this Thursday, the power utility said the restoration to service of most units will result in reduced load shedding. Reads the statement:

Further to our earlier notice about the system disturbance on the national grid, ZESA Holdings would like to advise its valued stakeholders that most of the units at Hwange Power Station have been restored to service. This will result in an improvement in the magnitude of load curtailment.

The reliability of Hwange Power Station Units 1 to 6 which were commissioned between 1983 and 1987, has diminished over time, and they are not considered very dependable.

The units experience frequent breakdowns and operate well below their installed capacity of 920MW, which comprises 4x120MW and 2×220 MW units.

In 2023, two new units, 7 and 8 were commissioned with a combined capacity of 600MW.

The Hwange Power Station’s installed capacity is now more than 1 500MW but the current generation ranges from 600MW to 1 000MW.

On Thursday, 14 March, ZESA Holdings’ power generating unity, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), said that Hwange was generating 614MW, Kariba was producing 300MW, and IPPs were generating 3MW, giving a total of 917MW.

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