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Business Writer

GOVERNMENT has said the planned refurbishment of Hwange Power Station’s Unit 5 is a critical step in boosting the country’s power supplies in the short to medium term.

Once complete, this is expected to yield an additional 160MW to the national grid, which is significant considering the current deficit of 300MW.
The enhancement in capacity is expected to have a positive impact on both economic and financial performance by mitigating production losses due to power shortages, Energy and Power Development Minister, Edgar Moyo, said.

“Furthermore, the allocation of resources to Hwange Units 1 to 4 and 6, in order to minimise plant down time on failure, will further alleviate the electricity shortages,” he told Parliamentarians recently. “With these developments, prioritising resources for the power station’s key production related issues is indeed a viable short term solution.

“The re-powering of Units 1 to 6 in 48 to 60 months’ time in the short term will eventually restore the station’s capacity to at least 840MW, which should significantly curtail load shedding and stabilise the power supply for the country.” Government is already working on boosting power supply by creating a supportive policy and regulatory environment that includes encouraging procurement from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), promoting Embedded Generation and involving third parties, said Minister Moyo.

The third parties such as the Intensive Energy User Group (IEUG), Utility Warehousing, Africa GreenCo, and Negomo procure power locally and regionally to supply directly to customers, focusing on energy efficiency improvements and demand-side management. The minister said this while delivering a Ministerial Statement on the electricity situation last week where he reported that Zimbabwe was generating a daily average of 1 300 megawatts against a demand of an average of 1 850 megawatts.

Hwange Power stations, stages one and two are producing 380 megawatts from Units 1, 3, 4, and 6 while Unit 2 is under statutory maintenance and is expected to return to service this month and Unit 5 is undergoing a major overhaul, which is expected to be completed in May next year.
He said Units 7 and 8 are stable and generating a total of 614 megawatts.

“Government is looking at increasing power supply sources through an enabling policy and regulation environment for support and procurement from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Embedded Generation and the continued involvement of third parties in the reformed electricity supply industry such as the Intensive Energy User Group (IEUG), Utility Warehousing, Africa GreenCo, Negomo and others,” said Minister Moyo.

“These players procure power locally and regionally and supply direct customers, energy efficiency improvements and demand side management.
“Government will continue mobilising foreign currency to enable the utility to increase our electricity imports.” Minister Moyo said it was critical to integrate the Battery Energy Storage System (Bess) as a step towards enhancing energy supply stability.

The Bess systems are designed to store electrical energy for later use, playing a pivotal role in balancing the supply and demand for electricity within the power grid. By storing excess energy generated during periods of low demand, the minister said Bess can provide backup power during peak demand times, thus ensuring a stable energy supply and mitigating disruptions caused by load shedding.

“It is essential that Bess installations are paired with a reliable source of charging supply such as solar or wind power to maximise their effectiveness. This approach not only ensures a continuous energy supply, but also facilitates the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, contributing to a more sustainable energy ecosystem,” he said.

The business community has repeatedly commended the Government for improved electricity generation followed by a reduction in power cuts. Businesses say the increased generation is the ingredient needed to spur growth, especially in the manufacturing sector, which together with others like mining and agriculture is expected to play a leading role in the attainment of an upper middle-income society by 2030. The Second Republic has made deliberate steps to improve the country’s generation capacity with the extension of Hwange Thermal and now the rehabilitation and repair of the six older units.

This follows the successful commissioning of Units 7 and 8 expansion projects last year, which were constructed at a cost of US$1,4 billion with support from China.