Power generation set to rise 14pc when Hwange unit...

Power generation set to rise 14pc when Hwange unit comes on board

Zim Now Writer

Deputy Energy and Power Development Minister Magna Mudyiwa says the country will start operating a new unit at its only coal-fired power plant at Hwange by March and this will lift the country’s installed capacity by more than 14 percent to 2 400 megawatts.

Mudyiwa said the new unit of the Hwange power plant will provide relief to millions of citizens experiencing frequent power outages in recent months.

“We have the capacity to generate up to 2 100 megawatts (MW) from our power sources but at the moment we’re generating far less than that, about 1 000 MW.

“But our demand for electricity is about 1 700 MW so we have a serious deficit,” she said.

Less than half of Zimbabwe’s 16 million citizens have access to electricity, and a global squeeze on funding new coal-fired capacity has limited the country’s ability to plug chronic power cuts that have lasted as long as 18 hours in recent days.

Deficient rainfall has led to a decline in hydropower generation, while the efficiency of the sole, decades-old coal-fired utility has dipped sharply over time while power demand has surged in recent years due to higher mining and agricultural activity.

The International Monetary Fund counts electricity shortages as one of the major factors weighing on Zimbabwe's growth prospects.

Lack of funding for coal-fired power is driving the mining and agriculture-dependent economy to import costly power from regional neighbours including Zambia and Mozambique.