Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda has said the expansion of the Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 7 is 99 percent complete, with only the synchronisation of the whole system set to be done.
The Unit is expected to add 300MW to the national grid upon completion.
Addressing journalists in Harare, Soda said the synchronisation will be completed anytime this month. The Herald quoted Soda as saying:
Hwange Unit 7 has actually progressed with all other systems having undergone commissioning tests and they were successful.
One of the critical stages in the commissioning of a power station is the achievement of certain revolutions of the turbine and that was achieved.
We are only left with the synchronisation of the whole system starting from where the coal is burnt, steam is produced, turbines are turned and causes the generator to produce electricity which is evacuated into the grid.
We expect that anytime from now given that the whole system is 99 percent complete; we are only left with one percent which is the synchronisation of the whole system.
Work on the project started in August 2018 using an initial $199 million from China Eximbank but its completion was delayed by the outbreak of the coronavirus in late 2019.
According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) website, on Monday, 13 February, Hwange Thermal Power Station was generating 378MW.