Zimbabwe’s power generation is expected to decline further in the coming months as Units 7 and 8 of the Hwange Thermal Power Station, which provide nearly half of the country’s electricity, are scheduled for Class C maintenance—a statutory requirement.
This maintenance will remove 600 MW from the grid at a time when output from Kariba has fallen to just 215 MW.
Consequently, Zimbabwe will rely on five operational units at Hwange (1, 2, 3, 4, and 6), many of which are prone to breakdowns.
Class C maintenance involves more comprehensive tasks than routine maintenance. This type of maintenance is scheduled periodically and includes detailed inspections of critical components and systems to identify potential issues that may not be evident during regular checks.
It also encompasses complete overhauls of major equipment, such as turbines, generators, and boilers, ensuring they operate efficiently and safely. 
Additionally, extensive testing and calibration of instruments and control systems are conducted to maintain accuracy and reliability.
Gloria Magombo, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, said that Zimbabwe has licenced Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects totalling nearly 2,000 MW in solar energy and 920 MW in coal.
However, most of these projects remain unimplemented because investors require a stable environment and government guarantees on returns.
Magombo said that the average electricity demand during winter was 2,300 MW, while the average supply stood at only 1,550 MW.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Zimbabwe's power might decrease because Hwange Units 7 and 8 are undergoing maintenance. This will remove 600 MW from the grid. The country will have to rely on other units at Hwange, which sometimes break down. The maintenance involves checking critical parts to make sure everything works well. Zimbabwe has licensed projects for solar and coal energy, but they are not implemented yet. More power is needed than what is currently available.

Power Crisis Looms As Hwange Units 7 And 8 Go Offline For Maintenance

Zimbabwe is set to grant licences to investors in new coal-mining ventures to fire electricity power stations despite a push by the industrialised North to shift to cleaner energy sources.
The Kariba hydroelectric power station is currently generating a fraction of its installed capacity due to drought and as a result, Zimbabwe has to depend more on coal-fired power stations.
Responding to questions from the <a href="https://newsday.co.zw/theindependent/local-news/article/200026708/abandoning-coal-will-backfire">Independent</a> on how Zimbabwe is dealing with pressure from organisations like the Group of Seven (G7), who are planning to phase out support for new investment in oil, gas and coal projects by the end of this year, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo, said:
<blockquote>
We acknowledge that coal is a critical component of our energy mix. With droughts, coal (power stations) — especially Hwange — has been able to push 1 000MW.
It has been an anchor. We believe over time, we will continue to use coal. We also have our decarbonisation plans, which are within the 2050 horizon, which most countries have put in place.
I think this is a position, which is carried by most African countries that are using coal.
We are saying within this horizon of up to 2050, we will come up with a clear decarbonisation strategy, which will also consider how best we can convert carbon dioxide from our coal plants — either orchestrating it through carbon sinking, which is expensive, but also through planting more forests to absorb that carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
The idea is to be net zero, not to totally eliminate the use of coal.
</blockquote>
Coal is the most carbon-intensive fuel, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions which have been linked to climate change.
Over the past few decades, there has been a push for the adoption of renewable energy options, such as solar and wind which are more cost-effective and sustainable for electricity generation. Added Magombo:
<blockquote>
It is not all gloom with regard to coal. If you look at most of the renewable energy programmes, there is always a push for carbon capture and carbon sequestration as an area of serious innovation.
Some of these countries, which have already stopped the use of coal, exhausted their coal reserves.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Zimbabwe Will Not Totally Eliminate Use Of Coal"

A power blackout spoiled the first day of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo, forcing some exhibitors to turn to generators, <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200026064/blackouts-spoil-zitf">reported NewsDay</a>.
The secretary for the Energy and Power Development Ministry, Gloria Magombo, said that climate change has had adverse effects on the country’s electricity generation capacity.
Speaking at a Township Economies and Rural Entrepreneurship forum organised by DEAT Capital at the ZITF on Tuesday, Magombo said:
<blockquote>
We lost about 600MW in Kariba because of climate change. Climate change is real. It is affecting us and it has brought us back to a very constrained point of supply and for that, we need to work together not just as government, but also with the private sector in terms of addressing the supply of electricity.
</blockquote>
She pleaded with citizens to adopt renewable sources of energy such as solar so that they could sell excess power to the country’s power utility, ZESA. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
Given the challenges that we have, you are better off independent and once we have a good system you can then sell the excess power to ZESA (Holdings).
We want everyone to be an independent power producer (IPP) using their rooftops.
As a government, we continue to look at how we can capacitate communities, especially with renewable technologies.
As a way of climate-proofing some of the programmes that we have in our rural communities, we want to work with universities to ensure the uptake and reduction in the cost of solar food dryers.
</blockquote>
In March this year, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) reduced electricity generation for Kariba Power Station to 214 megawatts (MW) against its installed capacity of 1 050 due to low water levels.
On Wednesday, 24 April, the country was generating a total of 1 117MW; from Hwange (779MW), from Kariba (300MW) and 43 MW from IPPs.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Power Blackouts Spoil Zimbabwe International Trade Fair

The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo (pictured) has said the Government is committed to ensuring that the electricity supply is improved and once it reaches optimum levels, it is sustained.
This comes amid a modest increase in power generation by the power utility over the past few weeks which has resulted in reduced load shedding.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/increased-power-generation-a-giant-leap/">The Herald</a> yesterday, Magombo said one of the major strategies the Government has adopted is to ensure that the power utility, ZESA Holdings, recovers the full cost of electricity supply. She said:
<blockquote>
The most important thing that you have to appreciate as indicated previously is that the Government will continue to engage various partners either in the private sector or our entities to ensure that power supply improves and is sustained and one of the major strategies which we have taken which was through the regulatory issues was to ensure that the utility can recover the full cost of supply.
They need to be empowered such that they are then able to meet the cost of the supply of energy and also that of maintenance and repairs of their equipment.
The equipment is old. It’s a process not an event so they will continue to take the steps to ensure that all the old equipment is taken out slowly and taken for a full overhaul.
We have adopted a strategy that the private sector should be part of and, as a Government, we have seen a high increase in private sector installations of commercial and industrial systems to assist ZESA in meeting its part.
We have seen a huge increase in solar rooftops which are also being connected to the grid, especially during the day and for us, we want to appreciate the private sector’s initiatives to also complement the efforts of the utility to ensure everyone does their part.
</blockquote>
On Thursday, 08 February, the country was generating a total of 1 430MW against a demand of at least 1 800MW.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was generating 824MW and 558MW from Hwange and Kariba, respectively, while Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were producing 48MW.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Govt Committed To Ensuring Increased Power Supply - Magombo

Some of the recent power outages in the country have arisen from faults experienced by the power utility, ZESA, on its electricity transmission system, a top government official has said.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/power-outages-not-a-reflection-of-subdued-generation/">The Herald</a> in response to the recent power outages, Energy and Power Development Permanent Secretary Gloria Magombo said power generation at the Hwange Thermal Power Plant is up and private businesses have reduced their demand on the grid by installing solar panels.
She said the Government now requires a detailed report from ZESA, explaining the challenges and measures to prevent a recurrence of the problems. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
As Government what we have been working on in the short term is to ensure that ZESA is viable as a company.
The viability of ZESA is quite critical in ensuring that they collect sufficient revenue to ensure that repairs and maintenance of their system are done on time.
Both Hwange units seven and eight are now back after maintenance and we are very happy about that.
We have other challenges which are beyond us as individuals because of issues of climate change, where the water allocation has been reduced for Kariba.
But we are encouraging more independent power producers to come and do solar so that at least during the day they can provide the additional capacity which we need to keep our system going.
We have also seen the rise of what we call commercial and industrial systems where industries on their own have installed industrial systems on rooftops, including storage and that for us is very good because as Government we have allowed for duty-free importation for these renewable energy systems which are being installed by industry.
So, we have encouraged industry to be also part of the solution by installing these systems. We have several companies which have installed them.
</blockquote>
She said the government is aware that there will be a need to increase electricity imports to augment local power generation given that Kariba South is on a reduced capacity due to low water levels in Kariba Dam.
Magombo said ZESA at times experiences system challenges which can affect the whole country resulting in power outages. She said:
<blockquote>
I think it’s important to know that at times there is a system fault which affects the system in a country, it’s not an everyday occurrence and I am aware that ZESA is investigating what is the cause and also coming up with solutions to avoid similar occurrences in future.
For us as Government, that is what we demand we are saying yes there is a fault but we want them to be able to produce a report with clear solutions to that fault and how they will in future avoid such similar problems.
That’s an area which as Government we have made our position clear on.
</blockquote>
Last week, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) said a fault at the Insukamini 330KV Substation resulted in a loss of electricity across the whole country.
Zimbabwe has been experiencing frequent power outages over the years as supply has fallen behind demand.
Climate change, which has reduced Lake Kariba inflows, ageing equipment at Hwange Power Station, and a lack of investment in the energy sector, among other factors, have contributed to Zimbabwe’s electricity crisis.
On 10 January 2023, the country was generating a total of 951MW, against a peak demand of 1 850MW. 
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Power Outages Attributable To Faults, Not Subdued Generation - Govt

The Government says the country is steadily moving towards energy sufficiency which will make load shedding a thing of the past.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/zimbabwe-close-to-energy-sufficiency-local-generation-and-imports-now-meet-daily-demand-of-almost-2-000mw/">State media</a> on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) conference in Victoria Falls on Wednesday, 28 June, Energy and Power Development Ministry Permanent Secretary Gloria Magombo said local generation and imports now meet the daily demand of almost 2 000MW.
She said Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Units 7 and 8 which are undergoing technical commissioning ahead of commercialisation, have improved the power situation in the country. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
We need to meet the growing demand which is based on the growing economy. As for Hwange Units 7 and 8, from March this year, we successfully synchronised Unit 7 which has been going through technical commissioning.
We are now doing the last of the tests and it will soon be going into commercial operation and as they are doing the tests the power is being supplied.
And we have also successfully in May brought in Unit 8 which is now going through reliability tests and, it will go on until September when it will also go into commercial operation.
While there may be a day or two where we will be doing other tests, it will be available and that is already being felt by people.
</blockquote>
Units 7 and 8 will provide a combined 600MW once they are operating at full capacity.
Before the expansion project, Hwange Power Station had an installed capacity of 920MW and the addition of 600MW from Units 7 and 8 will take the installed capacity to 1 520MW.
However, the old units experience frequent breakdowns and can no longer be relied on.
Magombo said the current demand is 1 850MW and, in addition to imports, the gap between demand and local power generation has been reduced drastically. She said:
<blockquote>
If you look at the additional 600MW which we have added onto the grid with all the two units running, our current demand is sitting at about 1 850MW.
We are now almost exactly supplying that amount, including some of the power which is coming from imports.
Obviously, you know that Kariba reduced output so we can do more in a year where there is much more water.
So we are cautiously using Kariba now, but what we have is able to meet our demand and we are able to do without any load shedding.
</blockquote>
On 01 July 2023, Kariba Hydro Power Station was generating 875 MW, Hwange 600 MW and Harare 15 MW to give a total of 1 490 MW.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Local Power Generation And Imports Now Meet Demand - Govt Official

The government has asked ZESA Holdings to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of three small thermal power stations, Bulawayo, Harare, and Munyati, and devise a clear strategy on how to move forward.
This may result in the decommissioning of the three power plants which are now very old, with some dating back as far as 72 years ago.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/thestandard/business/article/200009312/small-thermal-stations-face-decommissioning">The Standard</a> in an interview on the sidelines of the fourth International Renewable Energy Conference and Expo held in Victoria Falls last week, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo said:
<blockquote>
So, these are old technologies, which are fairly inefficient. Over the years, there were some modifications and investments, which were meant to allow them to extend their life, but with the ultimate view that every asset after a specific time has to be decommissioned and new technologies or alternatively totally new technologies can then be installed.
So, we are in the process where we want ZESA to look at the efficacy, of their efficiency levels and come up with a clear strategy in terms of how they want to move forward on those, which is looking at all options, including decommissioning them.
As government, we are saying look at its use, the cost of keeping them going in terms of a clear cost-benefit analysis and then you advise us as government in terms of the most cost-effective way to continue having them there. They are ailing and it’s expected.
They are really old and they’ve really outlived their time, but we have run them because when we have a critical shortage, every small little megawatt counts.
A typical issue to do with such plans, if you remember they were built during the time when they were really saving the cities at the time.
</blockquote>
Magombo said ZESA should evaluate all possible options and then make a recommendation to the government.
She said the government, as the shareholder, would then decide the way forward. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
They’re obviously the most expensive to run at the moment because of the movement of coal.
They don’t use thermal coal like what Hwange uses. Hwange uses what we refer to as thermal coal, but these power stations use special coal, which is much more expensive.
</blockquote>
On 24 March 2023, both Bulawayo and Harare were not producing any electricity, whereas Munyati was generating 18 megawatts.
According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), Munyati thermal power station originally had a capacity of 120MW but currently operates at a capacity of 100MW.
Harare Power Station currently has a dependable capacity of 50MW, while Bulawayo Power Station had an installed capacity of 120MW which was downgraded to the current 90MW.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Three Power Stations Face Decommissioning

Hundreds of engineers are working on aligning Unit 7 at Hwange Power Station to the national grid before commercial production of electricity commences, an official has said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo, told <a href="https://zbcnews.co.zw/2023/03/19/hwange-unit-7-power-station-almost-ready/">ZBC News</a> that meticulous tests are being carried out to synchronise the new unit with the national grid before it goes online. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
We are talking of aligning the entire plant to the national grid and that involves hundreds of engineers who are working day in and day out to make sure that all systems are in place.
Our target is to commission the plant by the end of this month but this cannot be rushed because we have to ensure that the plant is fully synchronised.
</blockquote>
In a statement issued on Saturday, 18 March, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), a subsidiary of ZESA Holdings, said the process of synchronising the Hwange Expansion Project’s Unit 7 into the national grid will start on Monday, 20 March.
Hwange Unit 7 is expected to add 300MW to the national grid. Unit 8 is expected to come online in the next few weeks and also add 300MW to the national grid.
The majority of Zimbabweans are being forced to endure more than 18 hours a day without electricity due to depressed power generation at the country’s ageing power plants.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Hundreds Of Engineers Working On Hwange Unit 7"

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo on Tuesday said the commissioning of two new units at Hwange Thermal Power Station will take time.
These two new units will add 600MW to the national grid, but it may not happen soon.
Addressing the media after a Cabinet meeting in Harare yesterday, Magombo said:
<blockquote>
Commissioning of a plant is not an event, it’s a process. When we talk about commissioning Hwange 7, each part has to be commissioned independently and certified as working 100%, before they move on to the next one.
If there’s something not working properly, they have to stop, look at it, and correct it. As they do that, they look at the critical path in terms of when they can put that unit on the grid.
</blockquote>
She said the other part of commissioning is the construction of transmission power lines including a 400km line from Hwange to Bulawayo’s Insukamini sub-station.
Watch the video below for more:
<div>
<video controls="controls" height="356" preload="metadata" width="640"><a href="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gloria-Magombo.mp4">https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gloria-Magombo.mp4</a></video></div>
Meanwhile, On Tuesday, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was generating only 494MW from its five power stations located in Bulawayo, Munyati, Harare, Hwange and Kariba.
On the same day, Zimbabwe was importing 50MW from Mozambique’s HCB, up to 169MW from ESKOM, 100MW from Zambia’s ZESCO, and 10MW from EDM in Mozambique.
Magombo said the country has agreed with EDM to increase supplies to 50MW, while there is an agreement for a further 150MW from Mozambique. | <a href="https://newzwire.live/govts-latest-energy-update-there-is-bad-news-and-slightly-less-bad-news/">newZWire</a>

"Commissioning Of Hwange Units 7 & 8 Will Take Time"

The government has put measures in place to ensure that there is continued power generation at various power stations across the country.
This was said by the secretary for Energy and Power Development Gloria Magombo while speaking to the media after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. She said:
<blockquote>
Various measures were reported to Cabinet which have been put in place to ensure that there is a continued power generation and supply demand-gap which has increased due to the loss of the 300MW.
One of the first strategies is to ensure that the current units which are generating in Hwange, continue to be maintained and optimised to ensure that they produce an average of 400MW to ensure energy supply security.
Over and above in the long term, over US$400 million was secured to improve capacity in Bulawayo and Hwange.
At Hwange power station, the life-extension project has started with Unit 5 which has been out due to challenges with its turbines earlier this year.
We have also been ramping up production for the small thermals in Bulawayo, Harare and Munyati to push them to 45MW.
Coal supplies are currently being expedited and there is a train with over 30 wagons to power stations to ensure that there is more production.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an electricity crisis caused by frequent breakdowns at Hwange Thermal Power Station and water shortages in Lake Kariba which supplies water for the Kariba Hydropower station.
Meanwhile, Magombo said the new 300MW Hwange Unit 7 is expected to be synchronised to the system by end of this month. She said:
<blockquote>
Unit 8 is also being developed in parallel and we expect that it will be commissioned during the first quarter of 2023.
</blockquote>
She said an additional coal plant at Hwange going through maintenance should be running soon, thus adding an additional 15 MW to the national grid.
According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) website, Zimbabwe was generating 494MW on Tuesday, 6 December 2022, against a peak demand of 2 200MW. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/measures-taken-to-ease-power-shortage/">The Herald</a>

We Have Taken Measures To Ease Power Shortage - Govt

Zimbabwe requires electricity imports of between 200 megawatts (MW) and 450MW daily from regional utilities to meet its power deficit.
This was said by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo. She said:
<blockquote>
Zimbabwe imports electricity from regional utilities (Eskom of South Africa, HCB of Mozambique and ZESCO of Zambia) to augment its internal generation capacity.
With a maximum demand of between 1700MW to 1850MW against an internal generation capacity of 1400MW, the country imports between 200MW and 450MW to meet this deficit.
The imports are, however, on a firm and non-firm basis and also depend on the level of internal systems demand and status/availability of generation units, especially at Hwange Power Station.
</blockquote>
The electricity challenges currently bedeviling the country were a result of many factors, among them delayed commissioning of new generation capacity, especially at Hwange, failure to maintain and rehabilitate existing infrastructure, and failure to attract significant investments through the private sector, according to Magombo.
She said during off-peak periods when demand is low, some units at Kariba Power Station (peaking power plant) are shut down and at that time no imports will be required.
Magombo urged local businesses to capitalise on the power deficit to invest in power projects. | <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/business/article/200003147/zim-needs-450-megawatts-of-imports-to-fill-energy-gap-magombo">NewsDay</a>

Zimbabwe Has 450 Megawatts Electricity Deficit - Magombo

The Permanent Secretary for Energy and Power Development, Dr Gloria Magombo has said power supplies are set to normalise from today after almost a week of exceptionally high-level load shedding.
The power transmission and distribution arm of ZESA attributed the prolonged blackouts to breakdowns of four generation units at Hwange Thermal Power Station and a far smaller challenge at Kariba South last weekend.
Speaking on Tuesday 29 September 2022 in the capital after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Dr Magombo, said:
<blockquote>
The situation which we have had in the past week or so is that we had lost a number of units at Hwange which were due for service.
These are occurrences which have been happening over the past couple of months due to the age of the equipment and we have also had a challenge or two in Kariba. We have managed to restore one of the units back in service. The situation was exaggerated on Tuesday when we had a system fault which took the whole system out which lasted for about four and half hours.
By end of day yesterday, we had two units in Hwange that were in service with about 245MW added to the grid. This still caused serious load shedding because the supply-demand gap was much higher than normal.
We are working on another two units in Hwange, Unit 4 and Unit 2 which will be coming back by Friday (today). By tomorrow we will have at least four units in service in Hwange which will give us almost 400MW and this power shortage will ease and significantly improve the supply situation in the country.
</blockquote>
Magombo said a bush fire on the main grid along the Alaska-Warren line Number 2 shut down that line and consequently, a number of other lines were lost including those bringing in imports.
She added:
<blockquote>
1). all 7 units in Kariba were restored within four and half hours together with the imports and the independent power producers managed to come in.
2). Units 3 and 4 in Hwange were now firing and feeding the grid.
3). Thermal units took longer to bring up to full output even when repaired.
4). Unit 7 at Hwange was above 95 per cent complete and the commissioning of completed circuits has already started.
5). Unit 7 would be supplying a commercial load of 300MW into the system by November while Unit 8 will be completed by the end of the first quarter of next year.
</blockquote>
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h2>

Govt Says The Power Situation To Significantly Improve

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) has managed to restore to service two units at Hwange Power Station that have been down for several days resulting in extended load-shedding.
In recent days, Zimbabweans in some parts of the country had to endure more than 12 hours a day without electricity after the 110MW Unit 3 and the 210MW Unit 6 came off-grid.
In an interview with State media in Kariba, Energy and Power Development permanent secretary Gloria Magombo said the two units had been restored to service. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
We had lost two units at Hwange Power Station and I am happy that I got an update that production has been restored. The situation has to improve to our normal levels by the weekend.
The first to be restored was Unit 6 on Wednesday and I got an update that Unit 3 has also been restored.
</blockquote>
Magombo said the power supply situation is expected to improve by November when production begins at Hwange with the completion of Unit 7.
Unit 7 will be generating 300MW and Unit 8, which is expected to come on stream in early 2023, is also expected to generate 300MW. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/two-hwange-units-up/">The Herald</a>

Two Units At Hwange Power Station Restored To Service

The government has urged every citizen to use electricity wisely for the country to avoid debilitating power cuts during the winter months.
Speaking during a two-day national dialogue on eco-tourism and renewable energy conference on Thursday in Victoria Falls, Energy and Power Development Permanent Secretary Engineer Gloria Magombo implored Zimbabweans to change the way they use electricity and embrace energy efficiency.
The conference was attended by tourism operators, hoteliers, environmentalists, climate change experts and Government departments. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>We are going into winter which obviously has a much higher demand driven by main consumption coming from heating of homes and hotels where there is running of heating systems.
We would want to start by saying we need all consumers to remain conscious of the fact that as a country we are still not energy sufficient and we still have to import the balance between what our demand is and what we are consuming and what we are able to produce locally.
So it is important to continue to use energy efficiently, switching off where we don’t need power and making sure that for industry they use efficient equipment and load it properly.</blockquote>
Magombo revealed that the country currently generates just over 1 300MW against a demand which will go over 1 500MW to about 1 700MW during winter and the difference will be met through imports.
The bulk of the power is generated at the Kariba Hydropower plant, with Hwange Thermal power plant struggling to operate consistently due to ageing equipment.
Magombo said the expansion of Hwange 7 and 8 is 62 per cent against a target of about 80 per cent as the rehabilitation work was derailed by COVID-19 in terms of manufacturing of equipment and deployment of experts coming into the country.
She said there is significant progress being made especially on Unit 7 which will be the first to be commissioned next year as Government expects to still meet timelines.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/zimbabwe-to-side-step-load-shedding-in-winter/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sunday News</a></h4>

Zimbabwe To Experience Electricity Deficit In Winter

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Engineer Gloria Magombo, said that the electricity situation in the country is expected to stabilise in the next six to eight months.
Magombo said this while speaking during a post-budget consultation on Tuesday.
She said that stabilising the power situation is achievable if the country manages to get between 500 and 600MW from the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Kariba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kariba</a> power station.
Restoration of Unit 4 and 6 at the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Hwange" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hwange</a> Thermal station will also help in eliminating the debilitating power cuts, she asserted.
Engineer Magombo said that the government is looking into increasing power imports and the adoption of renewable energy such as solar.
<h4>More: <a href="https://equityaxis.net/2019/11/19/power-situation-to-improve-within-six-months-energy-ministry/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Equity Axis</a></h4>

Power Cuts Expected To End By June 2020

Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) recently wrote a letter to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, asking for permission to start implementing load shedding.
The letter was written by ZETDC acting managing director Ralph Katsande, according to a Business Times report.
In response to ZETDC’s request, Energy and Power Development permanent secretary Gloria Magombo said:
<blockquote>The ministry is in receipt of your letter dated March 14, 2019, on the (load-shedding) subject matter.
In the letter, ZETDC was advising the ministry on the necessity to implement a load-shedding program in cognizance of the reduction in water allocation by Zambezi River Authority at Kariba Power Station and also the deteriorating coal supply situation at Hwange Power Station.
The ministry concurs with ZETDC’s proposal to implement a load-shedding program in compliance with ZRA and also to mitigate the impact of coal supplies situation.
To this end, ZETDC is being requested to submit the proposed load-shedding schedule to the ministry for its perusal before implementation.</blockquote>
ZETDC has since advised the public that it will soon announce a load shedding schedule in the mainstream media.
The company dismissed “schedules” circulating on social media, saying that they are all “fake”.
<h5>Related:</h5>
<ul>
<li class="entry-title">
<h5><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/05/09/full-text-zesa-statement-on-load-shedding-schedules-circulating-on-social-media/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FULL TEXT: ZESA Statement On Load Shedding Schedules Circulating On Social Media</a></h5>
</li>
<li class="entry-title">
<h5><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/05/09/zesa-disowns-fake-load-shedding-schedule/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZESA Disowns “Fake” Load Shedding Schedule</a></h5>
</li>
</ul>
<h5>More: <a href="https://businesstimes.co.zw/brace-for-crippling-power-cuts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Business Times</a></h5>

Govt Gives ZESA Green Light To Prepare 'Crippling' Load Shedding Schedules

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Dr. Gloria Magombo, has announced that the government is implementing measures meant to ensure fuel availability during Easter and Independence holidays.
Magombo was responding to concerns raised by the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (Haz) on the scarcity of fuel nationwide. She said:
<blockquote>Government, working with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has already put in place measures to ensure adequate fuel supplies so as not to dampen the spirit of the holidays.
Government has put in place foreign currency structures, mainly in the form of Letters of Credit for oil companies to procure fuel. For some oil companies, such structures are already running, while for the rest of the companies the structures will kick-start before the holidays set in.
The good thing is that adequate fuel is already in the country, held in bond, (and) just waiting for payment in foreign currency to be made before it is released onto the market.</blockquote>
<h3>Related:</h3>
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<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/04/04/govt-speaks-on-current-fuel-shortages/" rel="bookmark">Govt Speaks On Current Fuel Shortages</a></li>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/03/24/govt-to-start-giving-rebates-on-fuel-to-businesses/" rel="bookmark">Govt To Start Giving Rebates On Fuel To Businesses</a></li>
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More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/enough-fuel-for-easter-independence-holidays-says-government/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Chronicle</a>

Government Assures Availability of Fuel During Easter And Independence Holidays

The government is working on new regulations to liberalise fuel importation. This will allow holders of free funds to import fuel into the country.
Current regulations under Statutory Instrument 122 of 2017 stipulates that only companies licensed in terms of Section 29 of the Petroleum Act are allowed to import fuel.
Speaking to State media recently, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development Engineer Gloria Magombo said:
<blockquote>This is something that is being considered and we should be making an announcement soon.
We are still looking at the modalities; that is the process of how that (deregulating fuel importation) can be done. Obviously, we already have licensed operators who we think will have to lead the process of procurement.
We will be looking at allowing, for example, mining companies who have their own foreign currency and need fuel for their operations.
I think it’s an issue Government wants to open up and see what are the opportunities for synergies with those who have free funds to be able to import for own consumption. We are looking at people who want to import for own consumption.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/updated-government-to-liberalise-fuel-imports/">Sunday News</a></h4>

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