ZESA Holdings says the load-shedding experienced across the country is set to ease, as a technical fault that had affected Hwange Power Station Unit 8 since last week has now been resolved, reported <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/zesa-puts-measures-to-ease-power-shortages/">The Herald</a>.
Addressing the media in Harare on Monday, August 26, ZESA Executive Chairman Sydney Gata said that the unit is now awaiting synchronisation.
Gata also said the power utility plans to install a utility-scale battery energy storage system, which will provide 600 megawatts of power during morning and evening peak periods for up to three hours. He said:
<blockquote>
We experienced a fault at the Hwange Power Station Unit 8 last week and we had to switch it off.
These are normal technical hitches that happen during the infancy of any new plants and I’m glad to notify you that our engineers have resolved this and we expect to synchronise the unit to be back online soon…
ZESA will install a utility-scale battery energy storage system of 1800 MWh (1.8GWh) which will provide 3 hours of 600 MW during morning and evening peaks.
This will substantially reduce load shedding, besides providing some benefits to system operations.
This project is at the procurement stage. The energy to charge the batteries will be supplied or procured off-peak.
</blockquote>
Gata also announced that Hwange Power Station Units 1 to 6 will undergo a repowering project to boost the current output from 485MW to 840MW.
He further revealed that there are plans in the pipeline to construct an additional four new units with a total capacity of 1,200MW at the Hwange Thermal Power Station. He said:
<blockquote>
Jindal of India will invest in an additional 4 new units at Hwange introducing 1 200 MW of new capacity. Feasibility studies for these have commenced.
This will see an improvement of consistent output from the current average of 485 MW to 840 MW. The programme will be executed unit by unit in the next 36-48 months, with work having commenced on Unit 5, using internal resources.
Hwange Power Station’s ongoing Repowering Programme is a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the station’s reliability and output.
With this investment (US$800 million), the project is set to upgrade Units 1 to 6, ensuring increased capacity, and reliability, and extending the operational life of the units by 15 to 20 years.
Currently, the station is maintaining a commendable output of 485MW, even as Unit 5 is being upgraded.
The completion of Unit 5 repowering effort is strategically scheduled for April 2025, which will bolster the station’s capacity in preparation for the high demand during the winter peak season.
</blockquote>
Gata said ZESA has entered agreements with ferrochrome companies to supply their own power. He said:
<blockquote>
Construction work has already started at one site targeting to produce 300 MW of thermal power in Hwange, with the first 100 MW coming on stream by mid-2025.
Construction work will commence this Q3 on a 720 MW thermal power station by one of the ferrochrome companies for self-supply and supply to other ferrochrome companies.
Ferrochrome companies will be investing in renewable energy, solar and wind, commencing this year.
In total, smelting companies have reached an advanced stage for the construction of a total of 300 MW of solar and 100 MW of wind power.
</blockquote>
According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), on Monday, August 26th, the power generation figures were as follows: Hwange Power Station was generating 780 MW, Kariba Power Station was generating 215 MW, and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were producing 47 MW. This amounted to a total national power generation of 1,042 MW on that day.
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ZESA, a power company, says they fixed a problem at a power station and power shortages will get better. They will use batteries to help with power during busy times. They will also upgrade other power stations to make more power. Some companies will make their own power too. ZESA said they are working on different projects to make more power for the country. On August 26, they said the power stations were generating a total of 1,042 MW. This will help reduce power shortages in the country.

ZESA Executive Chairman Announces Measures To Ease Power Shortages

Energy and Power Development Minister Edgar Moyo said that electricity generation in the country has improved following the completion of maintenance works at Hwange Power Station’s Unit 8 last week.
Speaking in an interview with <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/improved-power-supply-as-zesa-completes-unit-maintenance/">The Sunday News</a>, Moyo said Hwange Unit 8 was under maintenance works for a number of weeks and this affected the electricity supply leading to power cuts. He said:
<blockquote>
Unit 8 at Hwange Power Station had been off for a while undergoing maintenance works.
It is now back on line and this is why you realise that the electricity supply has improved.
What we also have to understand is that at times we get frequent breakdowns or faults hence it might not be necessarily load-shedding.
Load-shedding occurs when we have a mismatch in the supply of electricity and its demand.
</blockquote>
Moyo said the unavailability of Unit 8 forced the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) to increase power generation at Kariba Hydro Power Station. He said:
<blockquote>
Our supply is not always constant; it depends on a lot of variables for example at Kariba Power Station we are now reducing productivity due to hydrology issues where water is now very low.
We are trying to stretch power generation up to the end of the year. However, sometimes if one of the units at Hwange Power Station has a problem, we increase generation at Kariba.
On the other hand, if our units at Hwange are giving us good production, we reduce at Kariba to save water. So it’s never a straight line.
As government however, we remain committed to the provision of uninterrupted power supply in order to be able to drive the industrialisation agenda towards an upper-middle-income economy.
</blockquote>
From 01 September to 22 September, Kariba Power Station was producing up to 925 megawatts, which was significantly more than what Hwange Power Station was generating.
However, from 23 September, power generation at Hwange improved with last Wednesday’s production going up to 1008 megawatts.
On Monday, 02 October, Hwange was generating 970MW, Kariba was producing 611MW, and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were generating 21MW to give a total of 1 602MW.
<img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F7arLh9XoAAAAjR?format=png&amp;name=large"/>
Zimbabwe’s electricity consumption stands at above 1 800 megawatts.
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Electricity Supply Improves As ZESA Completes Hwange Unit 8 Maintenance

Energy and Power Power Development Minister, Zhemu Soda said that the Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 will be back on the national grid on Monday.
Last week, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) announced that the 300MW Hwange Unit 7 had been temporarily removed from the grid for system evaluation before the final commissioning phase.
Responding to questions from Senators on Thursday, Soda said the reliability tests for Unit 7 had been completed and it will be back on the grid on Monday. The <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/hwange-unit-7-passes-test-runs-back-on-grid-next-monday/">Chronicle</a> quoted the Minister as saying:
<blockquote>
It was being run on commissioning tests where they were testing the turbine running capacity, which was successful and also the boiler hydraulics.
What happened is that after running it for the period of the tests, they took it out of the grid in order for technicians to do evaluations before the unit is run on a commercial basis.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the synchronisation of Unit 8 did not go as planned on 16 May, according to the Minister.
He said when the synchronisation started, engineers discovered after about three hours that there was an area that they needed to attend to and it was taken off the grid. Said Soda:
<blockquote>
They have been working on the unit and according to what they had pre-determined at a time when they took it off the grid, the unit was supposed to be tied back to the grid today (last Thursday).
</blockquote>
He said he was yet to get an update from the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) on whether that had happened.
Unit 7 and 8 are expected to add 600 megawatts to the grid and reduce the duration of unscheduled power cuts being experienced across the country.
The two units were built at a cost of about US$1.4 billion by a Chinese contractor.
The Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project started in 2018 but was affected by a number of unforeseen events such as the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Hwange Unit 7 Back On The Grid On 22 May

The Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 8 is set to be synchronised on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, with tests underway to ensure that the process is undertaken successfully.
Unit 8 is expected to add another 300 megawatts to the national grid once fully operational.
The planned synchronisation of Unit 8 comes a few months after Unit 7 was successfully synchronised with the national grid and started feeding electricity.
Minister of Energy and Power Development Zhemu Soda recently told the media that Unit 8 will be connected to the national grid on 16 May. He said:
<blockquote>
Engineers are on the ground working on various tests to make sure everything is in order for a successful synchronisation of Unit 8 with the national grid.
It is the same procedure that was undertaken before the synchronisation of Unit 7 on 20 March 2023.
What we are observing is that the synchronisation will go as planned.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/all-set-for-hwange-unit-8-synchronisation-power-outages-price-volatility-temporary-ed/">The Sunday News</a> reported sources close to the project on Saturday as saying tests were underway to ensure smooth synchronisation. Said a source:
<blockquote>
Engineers are on the ground working on various tests to make sure everything is in order for a successful synchronisation of Unit 8 with the national grid.
It is the same procedure that was undertaken before the synchronisation of Unit 7 on 20 March 2023.
What we are observing is that the synchronisation will go as planned.
Hwange Unit 7 which is still undergoing commissioning tests has successfully completed the reliability run.
Engineers took it off the grid on Thursday for evaluation of all systems which was supposed to be 168 hours.
I am sure that time has lapsed so engineers will advise when it will be returned to the grid for the final phase of commissioning which is the performance and guarantees test. After these tests, it is expected to be available commercially in mid-June.
</blockquote>
The Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion Project involves the construction of two new units, Units 7 and 8, which will have a combined capacity of 600MW.
The project is being funded through a loan from China Exim Bank, with Sinohydro Corporation acting as the EPC contractor.
The project is expected to cost approximately $1.4 billion and was initially scheduled for completion in 2022 but was delayed due to COVID-19.
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"All Set For Hwange Unit 8 Synchronisation On 16 May"

The Minister of Energy and Power Development, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Soda_Zhemu">Soda Zhemu</a>, announced that Hwange Unit 8 is now ready for synchronisation. He also commended the improvements in power supply resulting from the full operation of Hwange Unit 7.
He made the statement while speaking to journalists at the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/04/30/us-uk-eu-participation-at-zitf-proof-that-re-engagement-is-working-ed">Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF)</a> in Bulawayo on Friday. The synchronisation of Unit 7 last month has been credited with reducing power cuts in some parts of the country. Domestic power generation capacity has risen to over 1 000MW total output, up from the lowest point of about 300MW in February of this year. Minister Zhemu told journalists:
<blockquote>
Hwange Unit 7 has been under construction for quite some time but it was synchronised onto the national grid on 20 March and is still undergoing commissioning tests at various performance levels. I am pleased to announce that on 16 May we will witness the synchronisation of Unit 8 and getting connected to the national grid. In June we will have Unit 7 being available commercially. What it means is that we shall have a constant supply of 300 megawatts.
</blockquote>
The 600MW Hwange expansion project, costing US$1.5 billion through a Chinese loan deal, was facilitated by the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa, he added.
Minister Zhemu also announced that the Kariba Power Station which was in danger of shutting down last year due to low water levels is now producing an average of 500 megawatts. Last year, negotiations with Zambia allowed the power station to generate an average of 250 megawatts. The minister stated that they intend to increase the generation further to meet the demands for winter wheat production activities.
Despite efforts to stabilise Zimbabwe’s power situation, it remains fragile due to vandalism, which forces the power utility to redirect funds from other projects to replace damaged equipment. Minister Zhemu has stated that measures are being taken to address this issue, such as using drones for surveillance and introducing legislation to deter such activities.
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