Zimbabwe is now pinning hopes of improved electricity generation on the commissioning of unit 7 at the Hwange Power Station later this year as the water at the Kariba hydroelectric plant has fallen to a critically low level while existing generators at Hwange frequently break down.
According to ZESA Holdings’ internal statistics, the dam level of usable live water for generating power had dropped to 6.6 percent as of Thursday, 17 November.
Meanwhile, three generators at Hwange were shut down on Wednesday because of boiler tube leaks and the plant was running on two units, producing 231 megawatts to the plant’s rated capacity of 920 MW.
At Kariba, three units are down for various maintenance works and the plant was producing 475 MW.
All of the country’s small power units — Harare, Munyati and Bulawayo, were shut down due to coal shortages.
Independent power producers are supplying 29 MW to the grid and 290 MW are being imported from Zambia, South Africa, and Mozambique, but the country has a deficit of 612 MW.
Speaking to Business Weekly in an interview, Power and Energy Development Minister Zhemu Soda said the commissioning of unit 7 at Hwange is expected to feed 300 MW. Said Soda:
Our hope now lies in unit seven. (Exiting) units at Hwange are coming out anytime and it’s no longer a surprise for us because the equipment has become too obsolete and we can’t rely on them.
He said the commercial production may begin later this month or early December.
Unit 8, for an additional 300MW, is expected to come online during the first quarter of next year. Added:
Although we are concerned about the water level at Kariba, Zambezi River Authority (which manages the lake) has advised us that we may continue generating and are also expecting early inflows to the lake due to early rain.