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ZIMBABWE will soon celebrate yet another milestone achievement when the Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 is commissioned.

The plant is 97 percent complete and is set to be commissioned next month and thereafter starts feeding electricity into the national grid.

The unit 7 is a component of the US$1,4 billion Hwange unit 7 and 8 expansion project which is expected to produce a combined 600 MW.

Unit 8 is set to be commissioned early next year and the completion of the expansion project is expected to drastically reduce the country’s electricity import bill.

The project manager Engineer Forbes Chanakira this week told the Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo that the project is 93 percent complete for both units but Unit 7 alone is 97 percent complete.

Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Richard Moyo

The Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project is one of the flagship projects being implemented by the Second Republic as it works to provide an enabling environment for industrialisation.

Government is working on a number of infrastructural projects meant to transform and grow the economy and these include the ongoing US$300 million Beitbridge Border Post Modernisation project, The Lake Gwayi-Shangani, the Harare-Beitbridge Highway, several dams across the country, rehabilitation of irrigation schemes and many other such projects meant to improve the people’s livelihoods and grow the economy.

The Beitbridge Modernisation project is being implemented through a public-private partnership arrangement between Government and ZimBorders Consortium. The ZimBorders Consortium is made up of Zimbabwean and South African businesspeople.

The Zimborders Consortium

The completed works under the massive project have completely changed the face of Beitbridge town.

The many development projects being implemented across the country are being undertaken mainly by local companies which is very encouraging.

The development of infrastructure such as roads is key to economic growth and we want at this juncture to implore other companies to emulate the Zimborders Consortium in order to accelerate implementation of key projects.

We want to commend Government for committing resources to implementation of these important projects such as the Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion meant to guarantee industry adequate electricity. Instead of just mourning about the illegal sanctions, Government resolved to use its own resources to develop the country hence the massive infrastructural development taking place across the country.

This shows that the nation is fast building internal capacities to create wealth and expand job opportunities for its citizens and that is as it should be. Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo (Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo).