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Leonard Ncube in Hwange
GOVERNMENT is happy with progress being made at the Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project which is now 64 percent complete despite challenges that have delayed its completion by eight months.

The US$1,5 billion expansion project whose scope entails addition of Units 7 and 8 with a combined capacity of 600MW started in August 2018 following a groundbreaking ceremony by President Mnangagwa.

The project is a joint venture between Sino Hydro Mauritius with 36 percent shares and the Zimbabwe Power Company with 64 percent, through a company called Hwange Electricity Supply Company.

Its scope is to add 600MW to the national grid with new powerlines: Sherwood 1 and Sherwood 2 as well as Insukamini Bulawayo set to be erected from Hwange to Kwekwe and Bulawayo, respectively.

The current plant has a capacity of 920MW but it is producing about 600MW.

Engineers told Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo who toured the ZPC site accompanied by various stakeholders that erection of pylons had started along the way from Hwange to Bulawayo and wiring will start soon.

They said work is underway for construction of a new sub-station just south of the existing power station where the existing plant and new system will interconnect.

Hundreds of workmen in various sections of electricity engineering were seen busy working with overall work now at 64,63 percent, against a target of 90,08 percent.

The cooling tower, measuring 150 metres in height, 120 metres diameter at its base and 70 metres diameter at its top is almost complete while work on turbines and furnaces is also underway.

Engineers said the delays were a result of effects of Covid-19, challenges with interim payment certificates by China Exim Bank, and delays in paying the contractor hence affecting manufacturing of required equipment, logistics and manpower mobilisation.

They said if the challenges are addressed, Unit 7 could be up in January 2022 and Unit 8 thereafter.

Speaking during the tour, Minister Moyo appreciated the challenges and promised to escalate the issues to Minister of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube to address payment challenges. “We have seen that you are working despite the challenges and we are impressed by the amount of work going on. We will try to intervene in terms of funding and I will talk to the Minister of Finance,” said Minister Moyo.

Some of the construction work including cooling tower at Unit 7 and 8

He said the tour was meant to take stock of construction work following groundbreaking of the project by President Mnangagwa in 2018.

“We would want to thank President Mnangagwa for investing such huge amounts of money to this project. Today we were visiting two years after he did groundbreaking and we have seen that work is moving despite the challenges related to delays in releasing finances from Treasury.

Covid-19 also affected and some of the engineers are not yet here. So far, I am impressed with the work going on here, it shows they are working. They say they are behind schedule by 258 days so we need to push for release of funds so they don’t stop again,” Minister Moyo told journalists.

Project manager Engineer Forbes Chanakira said delays might continue unless payment issues are addressed.

“By now Unit 7 should have started but its start-up is now expected on January 8, 2022 all things being equal. We should be at 90,08 percent overall now but because of Covid-19 we are at 64,63 percent, with a delay of 258 days. Covid-19 affected design, manufacturing and logistics, manpower mobilisation,” he said. — @ncubeleon.