The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) has warned the decommissioning of the Bulawayo thermal power station will result in job losses in the city.
This comes after the Government announced plans to decommission the 77-year-old power station last year, saying it is now too old.
According to a position paper titled “Socio-economic implications of the decommissioning of the Bulawayo thermal power station on residents”, prepared by Wayne Malinga, an academic and development practitioner, BPRA said jobs will be lost and the family set-up will be negatively affected. <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/theindependent/business-digest/article/200022564/byo-thermal-power-station-decommissioning-to-hit-jobs">It reads in part</a>:
<blockquote>
Job losses are going to be experienced by both the residents of Bulawayo and also employees of ZESA working at the thermal power station.
For the residents, those working in industries and any other businesses highly dependent on electricity for operations will be adversely affected.
Meanwhile, the ZESA employees will suffer retrenchment and, in some instances, get transfers with their families experiencing moves to new areas or workstations.
The family setup is going to be affected given that children would have to start afresh in terms of seeking admission to new schools amongst a few things.
Financially, there is no money to run the plants not only in Bulawayo but across the country and over 600 employees are likely to lose their jobs or get transferred.
At the present moment, vacancies that emerge within the power utility are given to outsiders instead of employees working in these power plants.
</blockquote>
The paper also said the decommissioning of the plant will result in power outages, a loss of a cultural or historical landmark, further de-industrialisation, withdrawal and failure to attract investors, and disturbed water supplies, among others.
The paper said the Government should refurbish, instead of dismantling the power plant.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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Decommissioning Bulawayo Power Station To Result In Job Losses - BPRA

The Government is mulling decommissioning the 72-year-old Bulawayo Power Station as it is now generating a fraction of its installed capacity.
This was revealed recently by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo. She said:
<blockquote>
It’s old infrastructure [Bulawayo Power Station]. You can’t get more out of it and it needs to be decommissioned and a new plant built there. We are looking at that option.
</blockquote>
Magombo was speaking at the Zimbabwe Smart Cities and Rural Connect conference held in Bulawayo the week before last.
The Bulawayo City Council and Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) are embroiled in legal battles over the ownership of the power station, with the local authority claiming it owns the power plant.
Magombo said the ownership issue was being addressed and several meetings have been held by stakeholders to address the issue. She said:
<blockquote>
I think we just need to be updated on where they are because we have engaged the local government and all the other relevant parties and there have been a number of meetings to resolve that issue.
</blockquote>
According to <a href="https://businesstimes.co.zw/bulawayo-power-station-faces-decommissioning/">Business Times</a>, in 2018 the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) announced in a public notice that it had received an application from the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) for an amendment of the electricity generation licence of the power station to be extended by 20 years from 2024.
The licence was also to enable the entity to produce 120MW with 90MW to be fed into the national grid.
But residents, through the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) and council, objected to the application on the grounds that they were the rightful owners.
Zimbabwe is currently grappling with electricity shortages which have resulted in prolonged power cuts euphemistically referred to as load shedding lasting over 12 hours per day.
On Saturday, 06 May, ZESA was generating 994MW from its power stations. Kariba was generating 659MW, Hwange, 320MW, Harare, 15MW, Bulawayo and Munyati were generating zero power.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Govt Mulls Decommissioning Bulawayo Power Station

The government has asked ZESA Holdings to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of three small thermal power stations, Bulawayo, Harare, and Munyati, and devise a clear strategy on how to move forward.
This may result in the decommissioning of the three power plants which are now very old, with some dating back as far as 72 years ago.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/thestandard/business/article/200009312/small-thermal-stations-face-decommissioning">The Standard</a> in an interview on the sidelines of the fourth International Renewable Energy Conference and Expo held in Victoria Falls last week, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo said:
<blockquote>
So, these are old technologies, which are fairly inefficient. Over the years, there were some modifications and investments, which were meant to allow them to extend their life, but with the ultimate view that every asset after a specific time has to be decommissioned and new technologies or alternatively totally new technologies can then be installed.
So, we are in the process where we want ZESA to look at the efficacy, of their efficiency levels and come up with a clear strategy in terms of how they want to move forward on those, which is looking at all options, including decommissioning them.
As government, we are saying look at its use, the cost of keeping them going in terms of a clear cost-benefit analysis and then you advise us as government in terms of the most cost-effective way to continue having them there. They are ailing and it’s expected.
They are really old and they’ve really outlived their time, but we have run them because when we have a critical shortage, every small little megawatt counts.
A typical issue to do with such plans, if you remember they were built during the time when they were really saving the cities at the time.
</blockquote>
Magombo said ZESA should evaluate all possible options and then make a recommendation to the government.
She said the government, as the shareholder, would then decide the way forward. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
They’re obviously the most expensive to run at the moment because of the movement of coal.
They don’t use thermal coal like what Hwange uses. Hwange uses what we refer to as thermal coal, but these power stations use special coal, which is much more expensive.
</blockquote>
On 24 March 2023, both Bulawayo and Harare were not producing any electricity, whereas Munyati was generating 18 megawatts.
According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), Munyati thermal power station originally had a capacity of 120MW but currently operates at a capacity of 100MW.
Harare Power Station currently has a dependable capacity of 50MW, while Bulawayo Power Station had an installed capacity of 120MW which was downgraded to the current 90MW.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Three Power Stations Face Decommissioning

The government could withdraw licences awarded to Independent Power Producers who have so far failed to operate with the country experiencing a debilitating electricity crisis.
This was revealed by Energy and Power Development Minister Advocate Fortune Chasi during an interview with State media after a tour of Bulawayo Power Station last Friday. He said:
<blockquote>We need to quickly advance the execution of projects by all those who are licensed.
I have asked Zera (Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority) to examine the status of each licensed project to see exactly where we are with each of them.
We need to understand if there are specific challenges each particular licensee is facing.
If we are satisfied that there is unjustified pilgrimage around the implementation of the projects, then the necessary action will be taken.
We cannot have a long list of licences which are not productive.
Everything has to be very legal.
The licensees must be given the right to explain themselves around the issue of non-performance because, at the end of the day, we cannot hang onto people that keep licences for speculative purposes.</blockquote>
Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) chief executive officer, Eddington Mazambani said that only 16 projects are operating contributing 131,276 (MW) to the grid.
Meanwhile, the country’s power plants were producing a combined total of 908MW as of Friday last week.
Due to low water levels in Lake Kariba, Kariba Hydro Power plant was generating (574 MW), Hwange Thermal Power Plant a meagre (319 MW) due to ageing equipment and constant breakdowns, while Harare was producing (15 MW).
Munyati and Bulawayo were not contributing anything to the national grid.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/government-to-revoke-license-of-dormant-ipps/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunday News</a></h4>

Govt To Withdraw Licences Of Inoperative Independent Power Producers

Residents of the city of Bulawayo are up in arms with ZESA Holdings’ subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Power Company over its plans to demolish two of the six cooling towers at the Bulawayo Power Station.
Bulawayo’s nickname Kontuthu Ziyathunqa (the smoke that bellows) was derived from the towers that spewed white steam into the air when the plant was in its prime.
Reports indicate that there is an ownership dispute of the coal-fired Bulawayo Power Station between the power utility and Bulawayo City Council (BCC).
Bulawayo mayor councillor Solomon Mguni told Newsday that plans to destroy the monumental towers will be resisted. Said Mguni:
First, it was Zimbabwe National Water Authority trying to take over Bulawayo Water some 12 years ago. Now, this! How on earth does a tenant destroy and alter a landlord’s property without the express consent and authority of the owner?
<blockquote>Worse still, there is an ownership legal dispute which is before the superior courts of the land. Not in our lifetime. It is the property of the downtrodden and resilient residents of Bulawayo.
No amount of fraud or hate will kill the spirit of the residents of Bulawayo to keep and control what belongs to them.
However, ZESA claimed that it does not seek to demolish the towers but rather to upgrade them.</blockquote>
This would be achieved by destroying the old and dangerous cooling towers 1 and 2 and building a new one in their place.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/06/bulawayo-residents-up-in-arms-with-zesa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Newsday</a></h4>

Bulawayo Residents, ZESA Conflict Rages On

The Zimbabwe Power Company, a ZESA subsidiary, has released a statement concerning the planned demolition of cooling towers 1 and 2 at Bulawayo Power Station. Part of the statement reads:
<blockquote>[A survey carried out] revealed that Cooling Towers 1 and 2 have outlived their design life and manifest advanced symptoms of deterioration including holes and cracks right through their hyperbolic shells which compromises structural and functionality integrity thus posing a safety risk.
As such, the structures need to be removed to safeguard the general public, power station personnel, electricity generation equipment, buildings, functional cooling towers, and neighbouring companies.
While ZPC appreciates the sentimental attachment towards the iconic towers by Bulawayo residents, demolition eliminates and ameliorates the aforementioned hazards thereby ensuring continued electricity generation in a safe environment, and the full restoration of “Kontuthu Ziyathunqa”…</blockquote>
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