Zimbabwe’s 18-hour power outages may get worse amid plant revamp

By Bloomberg News

Zimbabwe’s daily 18-hour electricity outages may get even worse this month as the nation’s main thermal-fired power plant in Hwange undergoes a scheduled revamp of two key units.

Maintenance work at the Hwange power station’s unit 7 began on Sunday and will last until March 29, according to state utility Zesa Holdings. In addition, unit 6 will be taken offline for statutory maintenance from March 15 to May 14.

“This is being carried out to ensure readiness for increased generation during the peak winter season,” the power utility said in a statement.

Power supply in the southern African nation was already under strain from drought-induced low water levels at Lake Kariba, the world’s largest human-made reservoir and one of its main energy sources.

The hydropower plant in Kariba is currently generating almost a fifth of its installed capacity of 1 050 megawatts, according to data from the Zimbabwe Power Company. The nation’s total power generation on Monday was 910 megawatts, almost a third less than the demand of 2 500 megawatts.

Electricity generation at Kariba will be “managed carefully” to address the periods of low supply caused by the outages from Hwange, Zesa said. “The output from Kariba will be adjusted as and when necessary to conserve water for future use, ensuring a balanced and sustainable energy mix.”

The constrained supply has increased the cost of doing business and crimped economic growth.