HWANGE – Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7, which was recently taken off the national grid for further tests, was successfully put back on Monday, adding 300 MW to the national output.
The 300 MW Hwange Unit 7 had been disconnected from the grid for system evaluation before beginning the final commissioning phase, according to an announcement from the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
The official integration was confirmed by the ZETDC’s contractor on its official social media handles.
“Unit #7 of Hwange Power Plants was officially integrated into the national grid, adding 300 MW of electricity to the national grid,” said Power China Zimbabwe, the Chinese company that carried out the installation.
Hwange Power Station’s Unit 7 was first synchronised with the system on March 20 this year before it was disconnected for the process.
Zimbabwe battles crippling power outages that have seen businesses and households endure lengthy hours per day without electricity.
The crisis has largely been blamed on continued breakdown of machinery in the country’s ageing power generating plants, coupled with government’s failure to invent in lasting solutions to the power situation since independence in 1980.
Two 300 MW units, Units 7 and 8, are being added to the Hwange power plant, with funding primarily coming from China. Unit 8 is anticipated to start producing power in October this year.
The Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project began in 2018 and was delayed due to a number of unforeseen events, such as the Covid-19 outbreak, according to authorities.
