Zimbabwe To Face Severe Power Cuts In March As Hwange Units Shut Down For Maintenance
Zimbabweans should prepare for worse power cuts in March, as ZESA Holdings has announced that two units at the Hwange Thermal Power Station will shut down for maintenance.
In a public notice issued on Friday, February 28, ZESA revealed that Unit 7, one of the two new units commissioned in 2023 and generating 300MW, will undergo maintenance from March 2 to March 29, 2025.
Additionally, Unit 6, an older unit producing 150MW, will be shut down from mid-March to May.
As of Friday, Hwange was generating 1,076MW, while the total national output stands at 1,341MW — just half of the peak demand.
The power supply at Kariba remains limited due to low dam levels. ZESA’s statement reads as follows:
ZESA Holdings would like to inform its valued stakeholders that Hwange Unit 7 will undergo a scheduled Class B maintenance, from the 2nd to the 29th of March, 2025. This follows the successful Class C maintenance of Hwange Unit 8 in January 2025.
Furthermore, Hwange Power Station Unit 6 will be taken offline for statutory maintenance from March 15th to May 14th, 2025.
This is being carried out to ensure readiness for increased generation during the peak winter season.
We would like to assure the nation that various strategies have been put in place to ensure stable supply during the period.
Kariba Power Station, which is primarily operating as a peaking plant, will be managed carefully to address the periods of low supply caused by these outages.
The output from Kariba will be adjusted as and when necessary to conserve water for future use, ensuring a balanced and sustainable energy mix.
We would like to sincerely apologize to our valued customers for any inconvenience that will be caused during this period.
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