Load Shedding Eases As ZESA Quietly Feeds Power From Hwange Unit 8 Into National Grid
Load shedding, a euphemism for prolonged unscheduled power cuts in Zimbabwe, has eased amid indications that the Zimbabwe Power Company, a subsidiary of power utility ZESA Holdings, has quietly begun drawing power from Hwange Unit 8, reported ZimLive.
Hwange Unit 8 is the second of two 300 MW generating units built at a cost of US$1.4 billion.
Unit 7 has been generating 300 MW since final tests were conducted recently, and coupled with improved generation at Kariba Hydro-power Station, ZESA has eased load shedding.
Testing of Unit 8 started on 09 June just days after tests were completed on Unit 7 which is now operating at full capacity.
A top official in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development said:
Hwange Unit 8 is currently producing about 220 MW after the synchronisation last Friday.
We also expect the old generator, Unit 6, to come back on stream starting next week following repairs, which should add another 150 MW.
On 13 June 2023, Kariba was generating 850 MW, while Hwange was producing 750 MW to give a total of 1 600 MW.
The country’s electricity demand is 1 820 MW, according to ZESA.
More: Pindula News
