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 ZBC News that meticulous tests are being carried out to synchronise the new unit with the national grid before it goes online. Said Magombo:

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.

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: Pindula News