Hwange Unit 7 is back online, increasing power capacity in Zimbabwe

In a significant boost to Zimbabwe’s power output, Unit 7 of the Hwange Thermal Power Plant was reconnected to the national grid on Friday, adding 300 megawatts (MW) to the country’s capacity. The reconnection follows the completion of scheduled maintenance on Unit 7, which has left Unit 8 as the plant’s primary source of power for the past month.

The outage of Unit 7, coupled with reduced capacity at the Kariba South Power Station, has led to increased load shedding across Zimbabwe in recent months. With both units already operational, Energy and Energy Development Minister Edgar Moyo expressed optimism that load shedding would be reduced as the festive season approaches.

“We expect load shedding to ease as we head into the festive season,” Minister Moyo said, noting that the restart of Unit 7 will help relieve some of the load on the grid. He also mentioned that repairs to the Class C power unit are scheduled for early next year, in January or February, which should help maintain a stable power supply during this time.

Load shedding expected to ease during festive season

Minister Moyo added that since most businesses close during the holidays, the reduction in industrial demand for electricity will allow more power to be distributed to residential areas, further reducing the load.

“With the reconnection of the seventh power unit and the decline in industrial activity during the festive season, we expect that most of the electricity will be sent to domestic consumers,” he said.

Power generation and maintenance

Recent power shortages have been exacerbated by renovation projects at the old Hwange power units as the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) continues work on six units using a US$300 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of India. The aim of these upgrades is to improve the long-term reliability and efficiency of Zimbabwe’s largest thermal power station.

As of last Friday, Zimbabwe’s power generation stood at approximately 866MW, with Hwange’s share accounting for 639MW, Kariba South Power Station generating 184MW and independent power producers adding 43MW. However, the country’s peak demand of 1,800 MW leaves a noticeable shortfall, forcing Zimbabwe to import electricity from neighboring countries to reduce the deficit.

Despite challenges posed by El Niño-induced drought affecting Kariba’s hydropower generation, the synchronization of Hwange’s new units allowed Zimbabwe’s average daily power generation to range between 800 and 1,000 MW.

This increased capacity, coupled with additional imports, is expected to provide Zimbabweans with a more stable energy supply in the coming months, easing the energy challenges that have affected both residential and industrial consumers across the country.