Risk Officer (Harare)

Branch Manager (Chiredzi)

Legal and Compliance Officer (Harare)

Class Two (2) Truck Drivers x54

Dispensary Assistant (Harare)

Account Student for Attachment (Harare)

Senior Loans And Administration Officer

Loans Officer (Harare)

Welder (Harare)

School Nurse (Harare)

Field Officer (Kariba)

Driver (Harare)

Human Resources & Finance Assistant (Gwanda)

Cook (Gwanda)

Administrative Assistant

Student Attachees: Retail (Bulawayo)

Student Attachees: ICT

Community Development Worker (Harare)

Infrastructure Specialist (Harare)

Finance Intern/ Attache` (Harare)

TOPP Trainee (Harare)

Step User (Chihota)

Disability Inclusion Officer (Mudzi)

Lecturers

Executive Director

Finance and Human Resources Manager

Software Engineer

Network Administrator

Workshop Operative

TFCA Programme Officer (Grade: D1)

Finance & Accounting Interns (Harare)

Actuarial Analyst

Creative Design Officer

Marketing and Communications Officer (Harare)

Howo Drivers (Hwange)

Communications Intern (Harare)

Control Technician (Harare)

ICT Enterprise Solutions Consultants (Harare)

Sales Consultant (Harare)

Procurement and Logistics Officer (Harare)

Entrepreneurship Skills Coordinator (Harare)

Human Resource Officer (Mutare)

Finance Officer (Mutare)

Education, Parenting, and In-School Officers x3

DREAMS Data Collation Clerks x32

DREAMS District Mentor (Seke)

Young KP Field Officer (Seke)

DREAMS Program Nurses x10

Facility Priority Services (PMTCT/Paeds) Focal Person x50

No Means No Lead Trainers x12

Families Matter Program (FMP) Facilitators x16 (Nkayi)

Administrative Trainees x5 (Lupane)

Sport Development Officers (Harare)

Co-ordinator for Director Commercial (Harare)

Public and Media Relations Officer (Harare)

Business Development Officer (Harare)

Legal Officer (Harare)

Scholarship Opportunities

Part-Time Welder/ Fabricator (Harare)

Part-Time Repairs/ Faults Technicians (Harare)

Part-Time Solar Systems Installation Technician (Harare)

Part-Time Bookkeeper (Harare)

Accountant

Deputy Librarian

ICT Technician (Bulawayo)

Library Assistants x2 (Harare)

Security Guards x3 (Harare)

Digital Campaign Officer (Harare)

Risk Analyst (Harare)

Furniture Designer (Bulawayo)

3 Wheeler Van Salesman (Bulawayo)

Regional Finance And Administration Assistant x4 (Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo & Gweru)

Homebased RGN (Harare)

DHIS2 Specialist (Tsholotsho)

Database Modeller (Bubi)

Systems Support Specialist (Lupane)

Systems Engineer

Economic Strengthening and Household Officer x5

No Means No Officer (Bulawayo)

District Team Leader and Clinical Services and Mentorship Officer

Education, Parenting, and In-School Officers x5

GBV, RBM, and Child Protection Officers x5

HIV Prevention and ASRH Officer

GBV, Child Protection and Key Populations Coordinator (Bulawayo)

Data Officer (Bulawayo)

HIV Prevention and Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Coordinator (Bulawayo)

Branch Managers (Kadoma & Shurugwi)

Products & Research Officer

Livestock Technician

Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/ Associate Professor/ Professor: Soil Biology And Fertility

Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/ Associate Professor/ Professor In Ndebele

Sports Director

Catering And Accommodation Manager

Internal Auditor

Chief Security Officer

Director, Information And Communication Technology

Assistant Shelter Coordinator (Harare)

Bancassurance Agents

Increased load shedding is being caused by the shutdown of Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 6, it has emerged.
The Unit was shut down for renovations on Friday last week and is expected to be switched back on this Thursday or tomorrow.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/week-long-hwange-unit-6-shutdown-leaves-zimbabwe-shot-of-power/">ZimLive</a> on Tuesday, a Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) official who preferred anonymity said the Unit will add 150 MW to the grid when reconnected. Said the official:
<blockquote>
We shut down Unit 6 to attend to a problem of vibration. After the shutdown, we allow a cool-off period of about two days before work can begin. We expect to get it back up on Thursday or Friday, regaining about 150 MW.
</blockquote>
Zimbabweans have enjoyed a period of relatively uninterrupted power supply in the run-up to the 23 August 2023 Harmonised Elections.
This was largely attributed to the successful addition of Units 7 and 8 generators at Hwange which added a combined 600MW to the national grid.
Zimbabwe’s peak electricity demand hovers at around 1 800MW with the bulk of the electricity generated at Hwange and the hydro-powered Kariba Power Station.
On Wednesday, 13 September, ZPC was generating 664MW at Hwange Power Station and 925MW at Kariba Power Station to give a total of 1 589MW.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Hwange Power Station's Unit 6 Shut Down

ZESA has commenced the refurbishment of Unit 5 at the Hwange Thermal Power Station to extend its lifespan by up to 25 years.
The Unit has an installed capacity to generate 220 megawatts (MW).
The work started immediately after the successful synchronisation of the new Units, 7 and 8 this year, and is expected to be completed in 2024.
In 2022, the Government secured a US$310 million loan from India’s Export and Import Bank to fund an extensive overhaul of Units 1-6 at Hwange.
The funds for the project, however, are yet to be released.
In an interview, with <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/hwange-units-1-6-refurb-begins">The Sunday Mail</a>, ZESA consultant Cletus Nyachowe said the power utility was using its funds to kickstart the project. Nyachowe said:
<blockquote>
To enable the disbursement of the US$310 million, the lenders would like to know the exact scope of the work that needs to be done, and that comes in the form of a detailed project report (DPR).
So, ZESA, together with our consultant, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), have produced that DPR which has been submitted to the financiers and they are looking at that report.
As ZESA and ZPC, we have been proactive; even before the disbursement of that US$310 million, we have started the refurbishment programme with Unit 5 already undergoing an overhaul.
Work has already started using our internal resources and we should be through with the first unit during the third quarter of 2024.
</blockquote>
He added that ZESA will decommission one Unit at a time for refurbishment. Said Nyachowe:
<blockquote>
It will take an average of five to six months to refurbish each unit over a period of five to six years.
So, you can see it is quite an extensive project, which will not be finished in the short-term, but will proceed over five to six years.
</blockquote>
The refurbishment of the six units, which were commissioned between 1983 and 1987, is expected to restore generation capacity to about 9 00MW.
Combined with the two new units, Hwange would then have an installed capacity of more than 1 400MW, making it the biggest power plant in the country.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

ZESA Commences Hwange Units 1 To 6 Refurbishment

The Government says the country is steadily moving towards energy sufficiency which will make load shedding a thing of the past.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/zimbabwe-close-to-energy-sufficiency-local-generation-and-imports-now-meet-daily-demand-of-almost-2-000mw/">State media</a> on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) conference in Victoria Falls on Wednesday, 28 June, Energy and Power Development Ministry Permanent Secretary Gloria Magombo said local generation and imports now meet the daily demand of almost 2 000MW.
She said Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Units 7 and 8 which are undergoing technical commissioning ahead of commercialisation, have improved the power situation in the country. Said Magombo:
<blockquote>
We need to meet the growing demand which is based on the growing economy. As for Hwange Units 7 and 8, from March this year, we successfully synchronised Unit 7 which has been going through technical commissioning.
We are now doing the last of the tests and it will soon be going into commercial operation and as they are doing the tests the power is being supplied.
And we have also successfully in May brought in Unit 8 which is now going through reliability tests and, it will go on until September when it will also go into commercial operation.
While there may be a day or two where we will be doing other tests, it will be available and that is already being felt by people.
</blockquote>
Units 7 and 8 will provide a combined 600MW once they are operating at full capacity.
Before the expansion project, Hwange Power Station had an installed capacity of 920MW and the addition of 600MW from Units 7 and 8 will take the installed capacity to 1 520MW.
However, the old units experience frequent breakdowns and can no longer be relied on.
Magombo said the current demand is 1 850MW and, in addition to imports, the gap between demand and local power generation has been reduced drastically. She said:
<blockquote>
If you look at the additional 600MW which we have added onto the grid with all the two units running, our current demand is sitting at about 1 850MW.
We are now almost exactly supplying that amount, including some of the power which is coming from imports.
Obviously, you know that Kariba reduced output so we can do more in a year where there is much more water.
So we are cautiously using Kariba now, but what we have is able to meet our demand and we are able to do without any load shedding.
</blockquote>
On 01 July 2023, Kariba Hydro Power Station was generating 875 MW, Hwange 600 MW and Harare 15 MW to give a total of 1 490 MW.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Local Power Generation And Imports Now Meet Demand - Govt Official

Energy and Power Power Development Minister, Zhemu Soda said that the Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 will be back on the national grid on Monday.
Last week, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) announced that the 300MW Hwange Unit 7 had been temporarily removed from the grid for system evaluation before the final commissioning phase.
Responding to questions from Senators on Thursday, Soda said the reliability tests for Unit 7 had been completed and it will be back on the grid on Monday. The <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/hwange-unit-7-passes-test-runs-back-on-grid-next-monday/">Chronicle</a> quoted the Minister as saying:
<blockquote>
It was being run on commissioning tests where they were testing the turbine running capacity, which was successful and also the boiler hydraulics.
What happened is that after running it for the period of the tests, they took it out of the grid in order for technicians to do evaluations before the unit is run on a commercial basis.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the synchronisation of Unit 8 did not go as planned on 16 May, according to the Minister.
He said when the synchronisation started, engineers discovered after about three hours that there was an area that they needed to attend to and it was taken off the grid. Said Soda:
<blockquote>
They have been working on the unit and according to what they had pre-determined at a time when they took it off the grid, the unit was supposed to be tied back to the grid today (last Thursday).
</blockquote>
He said he was yet to get an update from the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) on whether that had happened.
Unit 7 and 8 are expected to add 600 megawatts to the grid and reduce the duration of unscheduled power cuts being experienced across the country.
The two units were built at a cost of about US$1.4 billion by a Chinese contractor.
The Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project started in 2018 but was affected by a number of unforeseen events such as the COVID-19 outbreak.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Hwange Unit 7 Back On The Grid On 22 May

The Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 8 is set to be synchronised on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, with tests underway to ensure that the process is undertaken successfully.
Unit 8 is expected to add another 300 megawatts to the national grid once fully operational.
The planned synchronisation of Unit 8 comes a few months after Unit 7 was successfully synchronised with the national grid and started feeding electricity.
Minister of Energy and Power Development Zhemu Soda recently told the media that Unit 8 will be connected to the national grid on 16 May. He said:
<blockquote>
Engineers are on the ground working on various tests to make sure everything is in order for a successful synchronisation of Unit 8 with the national grid.
It is the same procedure that was undertaken before the synchronisation of Unit 7 on 20 March 2023.
What we are observing is that the synchronisation will go as planned.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/all-set-for-hwange-unit-8-synchronisation-power-outages-price-volatility-temporary-ed/">The Sunday News</a> reported sources close to the project on Saturday as saying tests were underway to ensure smooth synchronisation. Said a source:
<blockquote>
Engineers are on the ground working on various tests to make sure everything is in order for a successful synchronisation of Unit 8 with the national grid.
It is the same procedure that was undertaken before the synchronisation of Unit 7 on 20 March 2023.
What we are observing is that the synchronisation will go as planned.
Hwange Unit 7 which is still undergoing commissioning tests has successfully completed the reliability run.
Engineers took it off the grid on Thursday for evaluation of all systems which was supposed to be 168 hours.
I am sure that time has lapsed so engineers will advise when it will be returned to the grid for the final phase of commissioning which is the performance and guarantees test. After these tests, it is expected to be available commercially in mid-June.
</blockquote>
The Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion Project involves the construction of two new units, Units 7 and 8, which will have a combined capacity of 600MW.
The project is being funded through a loan from China Exim Bank, with Sinohydro Corporation acting as the EPC contractor.
The project is expected to cost approximately $1.4 billion and was initially scheduled for completion in 2022 but was delayed due to COVID-19.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"All Set For Hwange Unit 8 Synchronisation On 16 May"

Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 7 first achieved a full capacity output of 335MW at 9:27 AM on Thursday 30th March 2023.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) managed to synchronise the first of two generators on Unit 7 into the national grid on Monday, 20 March after failing to do so several times.
The two generators make up the Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 and 8 Expansion Project being installed under a US$1.4 billion facility from China Eximbank.
Soon after the successful synchronisation of Unit 7 into the national grid, ZPC said power will be progressively fed into the grid until it reaches 300MW.
However, captains of industry said Unit 7 will not meaningfully end the current electricity challenges bedeviling the economy.
Zimbabwe has a national electricity peak demand of between 1 700 and 2 200 depending on the season.
On 31 March 2023, ZPC was generating a total of 678MW, with Hwange producing 311, Kariba, 350, and Munyati 17. Harare and Bulawayo were generating zero.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200009522/ed-demands-re-run-in-violence-hotspots">Pindula News</a>

Hwange Unit 7 Achieves 335MW Full Capacity Output

Captains of industry say the successful synchronisation of Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 7 with a generation capacity of 300 megawatts (MW) with the national grid will not meaningfully end the current electricity challenges bedeviling the economy.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president Kurai Matsheza on Wednesday told <a href="https://businesstimes.co.zw/hwange-deal-wont-rid-zim-of-power-crisis/">Business Times</a> that the hope is that the new unit will operate at full capacity consistently. Said Matsheza:
<blockquote>
We hope that it will be on the grid on a sustainable basis and hopefully, it will operate at the capacity of 300MW and if that stands a test of time, this will assist industry and other sectors of the economy though it will not eliminate the power challenges completely.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce president Mike Kamungeremu said the development is welcome. He said:
<blockquote>
We hope that Unit 8 will come soon and that will be commendable. We hope that may result in load shedding hours reduced as right now it is not sustainable for businesses to run for hours as the cost is too huge resulting in some firms closing.
All the same, we are happy with the development, though we need more power.
</blockquote>
<h2>Hwange Unit 7</h2>
Unit 7 was successfully synchronised with the national grid and started feeding electricity on Monday, 20 March.
The synchronisation sought to establish if the electricity being generated from Unit 7 would flow into the national grid.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) said that power from Unit 7 will be progressively fed into the grid until it reaches 300MW.
ZPC said it expects the second 300MW thermal unit (unit 8) to start generating power in October.
<h2>Depressed Power Generation</h2>
According to power generation statistics, ZESA ‘s five power stations in Kariba, Hwange, Bulawayo, Munyati and Harare on Wednesday collectively produced 361MW against a national demand of 1 800MW.
Hwange Thermal Power Station has the capacity to generate 1 220MW, while Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Plant has the capacity to generate 1 050MW.
On Friday, 24 March, Hwange was generating 530MW, Kariba, 350MW, and Munyati, 18MW to give a total of 898MW. Harare and Bulawayo were not generating anything.
<h2>ZESA Loadshedding, Debts</h2>
To cover for the shortfall, ZESA is load-shedding consumers as well as importing from South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia.
A <a href="https://www.263chat.com/zambia-to-switch-off-zim-over-power-supply-debt/">recent report</a> claimed that Zambia’s power utility ZESCO Limited was set to disconnect supply to Zimbabwe on 14 March over non-payment of US$10.7 million debt for the month of February and March.
ZETDC commercial service director Gift Ndhlovu was recently quoted as saying the overall debt to regional suppliers has increased to over US$100.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Hwange Unit 7 Will Not End Zimbabwe's Power Crisis

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) late on Monday said the new 300 megawatts (MW) generating unit at Hwange Thermal Power Station started feeding electricity into the national grid.
Zimbabwe is expanding the 920MW Hwange power station by adding two 300MW units (7 &amp; 8) at a cost of US$1.4 billion, with 85% of the funding coming from China, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/zimbabwes-new-300-mw-coal-fired-plant-starts-feeding-into-grid-2023-03-21/">reported Reuters</a>.
Unit 7, the first of the two units built by China’s Sinohydro, was successfully synchronised into the national grid on Monday evening. A short statement released by ZPC yesterday reads:
<blockquote>
The Hwange Expansion Project’s Unit 7 was successfully synchronised today at 1826hrs.
Power will be progressively fed into the grid until it reaches 300MW.
</blockquote>
The ZPC has said it expects the second 300MW thermal unit (unit 8) to start generating power in October.
On Tuesday, 21 March, ZPC was generating a paltry 522MW from two out of five power stations.
Hwange and Kariba were generating 323MW and 199MW respectively, while Munyati, Bulawayo, and Harare were producing zero.
Zimbabwe requires 1 700MW in Summer to end load shedding.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Hwange Unit 7 Power Generation Set For Gradual Increase To 300MW Capacity - ZESA

The Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 7 was successfully synchronised with the national grid and started feeding electricity on Monday, 20 March.
<a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/historic-moment-as-unit-7-is-synchronised-successfully/">The Chronicle</a> reported that the synchronisation, which was done at 6.25 PM, sought to establish if the electricity being generated from Unit 7 would flow into the national grid.
In 1984 four engineers were electrocuted at Hwange Power Station when they synchronised a system that was not yet ready.
Yesterday, the process was done without any complications and after 20 minutes of the synchronisation, 41MW of electricity were being fed into the grid.
It was hoped that up to 100MW would be fed into the grid from Unit 7 later on Monday.
Six hours from the time the synchronisation started, the engineers were going to switch off Unit 7 and conduct checks on the system.
The checks would be conducted for 12 hours, and thereafter, Unit 7 would be brought back onto the grid and be allowed to generate electricity again.
However, it will take time for Unit 7 to achieve the installed capacity of 300MW and expectations are that this will be attained by June this year.
The project manager, Engineer Forbes Chanakira, a University of Zimbabwe graduate, turns 41 next Monday.
ZESA Holdings executive chairman Sydney Gata, who was at the power plant yesterday to witness the synchronisation, likened the amount of work put into commissioning a thermal power station to an “open heart surgery”. Said Gata:
<blockquote>
The synchronisation has been successful and I am happy. As ZESA we are proud of this event.
We can gladly say we have a viable investment here. The rest of the tests can now be concluded while the unit is now generating electricity and soon we shall be enjoying more electricity.
The plant was well-designed and well-constructed. Today we have been able to synchronise it with the national grid.
I pay tribute to the project manager Engineer Forbes Chanakira and a team of nearly 200 young engineers for a job well done.
</blockquote>
Before the expansion project, Hwange Thermal Power Station had an installed capacity of 920MW.
The addition of 600MW from Units 7 and 8 will take the installed capacity to 1 520MW.
National Coordinator responsible for programmes and projects in the Office of the President and Cabinet Amos Marawa, who was also present during the synchronisation, said ZESA should now start rehabilitating the old six units to ensure they generate more electricity.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Hwange Power Station Unit 7 Synchronised Successfully

Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda has said the commissioning of two new units at Hwange Thermal Power Plant, that is units 7 and 8, “is complex”.
This comes amid indications that the state-owned power utility, ZESA Holdings, has missed several deadlines to commission the units and ease load shedding in the country.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.businessweekly.co.zw/power-outages-ease-supply-not-guaranteed/">Business Weekly</a> last week, Soda said the synchronisation of Unit 7 for it to come on board was “almost complete.” He said:
<blockquote>
A lot of processes are involved; these include testing the performance compliance levels at various production levels.
You need to understand the behaviour of the plant; say when it is producing 100 MW, or 200MW.
So even when we switch them on, we still have to do all those processes and when that is done, we can then start producing at a commercial scale.
</blockquote>
Soda said the COVID-19 pandemic also delayed the commissioning of units 7 and 8 as technicians from China could not travel to Zimbabwe.
He added that Sino Hydro, the company contracted to build 7 &amp; 8 had subcontracted ABB to conduct testing of the protection system but due to the resurgence of the pandemic late last year, the technicians failed to travel to Zimbabwe.
When the technicians eventually arrived, it took time for them to understand the system and they also needed to be reinforced by a team from South Africa.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Commissioning Of Hwange Units 7 & 8 Complex"

ZESA Holdings is currently unable to avail a load-shedding timetable due to the unreliability of Hwange Power Station which is now very old and constantly breaks down.
This was said by Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda on Wednesday in the National Assembly while responding to lawmakers who wanted to know why the power utility had stopped issuing load-shedding schedules. Soda said:
<blockquote>
At the moment, it’s very difficult to come up with a schedule because we have unplanned power outages at Hwange due to its age.
We cannot plan well based on the capacity of Hwange. We have unplanned outages that are occurring from Hwange.
In the morning today, we were obtaining a capacity of 387 megawatts, and you will be surprised that it can go down to 100 megawatts.
Of the four units that are currently in service, some would have gone out of service. So the power station is not reliable at the moment because of age.
We will soon be availing a load-shedding schedule after the coming in of unit seven and unit eight.
If there is going to be any deficit after the two units come in, then ZESA will have to give a load-shedding schedule.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe’s largest power plant is the Kariba South Bank Hydro, with an installed capacity of 1 050MW followed by Hwange Thermal Power Station with an installed 920MW capacity.
By Thursday afternoon, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was yet to post the power generation statistics on its website.
But the previous day, Wednesday, 08 March, Hwange was generating 401MW, Kariba was producing 253MW and Harare was on 12MW, giving a total of 666MW.
The other two power stations, Munyati and Bulawayo were producing zero.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Load Shedding Timetable Impossible", Soda Cites Constant Breakdowns At Hwange

The breakdown of five out of six units at the Hwange Thermal Power Plant has compounded existing electricity challenges Zimbabwe is facing with some customers enduring power cuts lasting more than 24 hours.
The country’s power utility, ZESA Holdings, is expected to bring online two new units at the Hwange Thermal Power Plant in the coming weeks to add 600MW to the national grid.
However, due to constant breakdowns at Zimbabwe’s largest coal-fired power station, which has seen output falling to less than 9 percent of its designed capacity of 920MW in recent days, there is little hope that units 7 and 8 will change anything.
An energy expert, Gerald Tasara, told <a href="https://www.businessweekly.co.zw/will-hwange-7-and-8-make-big-difference/">Business Weekly</a> that the new units will not make any big difference in terms of the national power supply. He said:
<blockquote>
Ideally Units 7 and 8 should be adding 600 MW to the exiting capacity but the problem is the frequency of breakdown of the existing plant.
Most of the units have already reached the end of their life span.
What will be churned out by the two units will be effectively replacing the current capacity and this won’t make any big difference in terms of delivering additional energy onto the national grid. 
This won’t make any big difference in terms of the national power supply. 
However, we can take comfort from the dependability or reliability of the new units as this may stabilise the power supply situation.
</blockquote>
The new units were scheduled to start operation in November last year, but both are still offline.
The Hwange Power Station comprises six units, four are 120MW units commissioned between 1983 and 1986 and the other two are 220MW units commissioned in 1987.
All six units have outlived their life spans by at least eight years.
A ZESA official was recently quoted as saying the plant is now 38 years old and its designed life is 30 years.
Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda said that the Hwange Power Station will be decommissioned after commissioning Units 7 and 8. 
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Hwange Units 7 And 8 Will Not Make A Big Difference"

The new Unit 7 at Hwange Thermal Power Station is expected to come on the grid on 16 March while Unit 8 is expected to come on line April.
This was said by the Minister of Energy and Power Development Minister, Soda Zhemu on Wednesday during the National Assembly question and answer session, reported <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/hwange-unit-7-to-come-on-grid-in-two-weeks/">The Herald</a>.
He was responding to a question by Chegutu West MP, Dexter Nduna (ZANU PF) on what Government was doing to address power blackouts that worsened this week. Said Soda:
<blockquote>
According to ZESA, Unit 7 shall be tied on the grid on the 16th of this month while Unit 8 will come on board a month later.
</blockquote>
Soda blamed the ageing equipment at Hwange Power Station the for the electricity crisis. He said:
<blockquote>
This week we noticed there was a depressed power supply which was occasioned by unfortunate outages at Hwange and we lost three units from the 23rd of February.
This is a result of the age of the equipment which we have always spoken about.
The equipment is now very old, the power station was constructed a long time ago and the equipment is now due for replacement at Hwange power station.
It is unfortunate because these outages are not planned. If they were planned outages, then warnings would have been sent by the power utility.
</blockquote>
Soda also said the water level at Kariba Dam was rising and was now at 14 percent of live storage. He said:
<blockquote>
We hope this will inform the allocation of water for power generation when it’s due for review in a fortnight.
</blockquote>
National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda said there was a need for Soda to bring a comprehensive ministerial statement on the power crisis.
On Wednesday, 01 March 2023, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was generating a total of 352MW.
Kariba was producing 280MW while Hwange was generating a paltry 72MW.
More <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Hwange Unit 7 To Come On Grid On 16 March - Minister Soda

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) says it is at various stages of repairing four units at Hwange Power Station after a series of breakdowns in recent days.
The breakdowns at the thermal power plant, which is the country’s second-biggest plant, literally plunged the country deeper into darkness as it is now operating at just 10 percent of its 920 megawatts capacity.
According to a general supply summary report produced by ZPC, between February 15 and 23 this year, four units at the Hwange thermal power plant were switched off, leaving the plant operating with one.
ZESA spokesperson George Manyaya promised to provide comment to <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/zpc-attends-to-faults-at-hwange-power-plant/">The Herald</a> after “getting a status update from the technical team” on Tuesday, but he had not done so by the time of publishing.
According to ZPC, a unit of ZESA Holdings responsible for generating electricity, Unit 4 was switched off on 15 February after developing a boiler tube leak.
Unit 1 was taken off on February 24 after a high-pressure fan got damaged.
Unit 3 was stopped on February 24 after developing a tube leak while Unit 6 was switched off on February 23 after developing a similar problem.
The damaged units are at various stages of being repaired, said ZPC. Unit 5 tripped in October 2021 due to excessive turbine vibrations.
On Wednesday, 01 March 2023, Kariba hydroelectric plant was generating 280MW.
Kariba’s Unit 4 was taken out on July 20 2022 due to a damaged turbine runner.
Generator 1 was switched off on February 2 2023 for turbine runner inspection. The inspections have been completed and the unit has been placed on annual maintenance.
Unit 8 tripped on 20 December 2022 due to GTx 8 fault and is being replaced.
Unit 6 was taken out on December 16 2022 for an annual overhaul and machine cooling water pipework replacement. Kariba dam level has slightly improved to 13,75 percent.
Meanwhile, Hwange was generating only 72MW this Wednesday while the small power stations, Munyati and Bulawayo are currently switched off for boiler maintenance.
Zimbabwe is importing 50MW from Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa; 180MW from Eskom, between 130-200MW from Electricidade de Moçambique and 1 00MW from Zambia’s state-owned power utility ZESCO.
The country is exporting up to 80MW to Namibia.

Several Units At Hwange Power Station Break Down

Former deputy Prime Minister, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Arthur_Mutambara">Professor Arthur Mutambara</a>, has called for the removal of the “incompetent” Indian company contracted to manage works at Hwange thermal power stations.
Speaking during a Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ) Webinar on the energy crisis in the southern African nation, Mutambara said Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) must be removed and work be done by Zimbabwe engineers. He said:
<blockquote>
We must carry out the refurbishment of Hwange 1 and 6. They are too old and they’ve not been refurbished. It is a problem because WAPCOS the Indian company is incompetent. It must be removed. There’s a company called WAPCOS, which has got a management agreement to run Hwange 1 and 6, they are incompetent, they are not capable. They must be removed immediately and the job of managing Hwange 1 to 6 must be given to Zimbabwean engineers in the diaspora, in the country and then a plan laid out to refurbish Hwange 1 to 6 using the OEMs, the original equipment manufacturers.
Now that Hwange 1 and 6 refurbishment can solve Zimbabwe’s energy problems. It can be done tomorrow, but WAPCOS must go. They are corrupt and they’re corrupt politicians in Zimbabwe. Hwange 7 and 8 is ready, the synchronization is taking place slowly. There’s a challenge technically on synchronizing Hwange 7 and 8 to the grid. Now, this is a very simple technical problem that engineers can solve, Zimbabwe’s engineers can solve, but the contractor who’s producing, who is working on 7 and 8 might be sabotaging the country because they want to be paid.
</blockquote>
He said the technical issues being mentioned are part of sabotage by the contractor to bargain for payment for their projects and their other investments in Zimbabwe. 
Mutambara said Zimbabwe’s energy problems will go away if Hwange 7 and 8 come on board.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Mutambara Calls For Removal Of Indian Company Managing Hwange Power Station

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. <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/hwange-thermal-power-station-unit-7-99-percent-complete/">The Herald</a> quoted Soda as saying:
<blockquote>
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.
</blockquote>
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) <a href="https://www.zpc.co.zw/">website</a>, on Monday, 13 February, Hwange Thermal Power Station was generating 378MW.

Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 Now 99% Complete - Soda

Unscheduled power cuts which worsened towards the end of 2022 and spilled over into 2023 are being addressed, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Posting on his Twitter page on Tuesday, Mnangagwa said the upgrading and expansion of Hwange Thermal Power Station show that the country is on the right path as far as the provision of reliable power supply is concerned. He wrote:
<blockquote>
Power has long been a challenge in Zimbabwe. We are working to provide our country with the best and most reliable power.
The work on the Hwange Thermal Power Station, which I visited last year, shows how far we have come and what is possible in the future. #Vision 2030.
</blockquote>
The newly-built Unit 7 at Hwange Thermal Power Station will be commissioned soon and will add 300MW to the national grid, a government official said recently.
Speaking about the power situation a few days ago, Energy and Power Development Minister Zhemu Soda said Unit 7 was expected to be fully operational at the end of December 2022.
He said there were delays in bringing in technicians from the Chinese company ABB to conduct the testing on the protection system following the resurgence of COVID-19 in China.
Soda said the actual unit of coal feed, boiler, turbines and generator are fully functional. He said:
<blockquote>
The testing of the power plant was done and passed.
We are only left with the testing of the protection system that allows for the evacuation of power to the transmission system and a team from China only came into the country in mid-December when we initially expected them in November.
There was also a delay in their understanding of all the systems; we are now expecting them to complete the test in three weeks and to have the plant run by the end of this month.
We don’t expect to take much longer to commission Unit 8 because we have learned many lessons from the current unit.
</blockquote>
Unit 8 is also expected to inject 300MW into the national grid. Zimbabwe is currently generating less than half of its electricity needs.
On Tuesday, 10 January, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was generating a total of 681MW from its three functional power plants – Munyati (23MW), Kariba (244MW) and Hwange (414MW).

Load Shedding Set To Ease - ED

Energy and Power Development Minister, Zhemu Soda, has said the commissioning of Unit 7 at the Hwange Thermal Power Plant is “almost complete”.
Speaking in an interview with State media on Wednesday, Soda said engineers are now finalising works on the protection system that allows evacuation of power from the Unit to the grid. He said:
<blockquote>
The testing of the power plant was done and passed. We are only left with the testing of the protection system that allows for the evacuation of power to the transmission system and a team from China only came into the country in mid-December when we initially expected them in November.
There was also a delay in their understanding of all the systems; we are now expecting them to complete the test in three weeks and to have the plant run by end of this month.
</blockquote>
Commercial production from Unit 7 was initially expected to start at the end of December 2022.
The Unit will produce 300MW and Unit 8, which is scheduled to be commissioned later in this quarter will also have the same capacity. Said Soda:
<blockquote>
We don’t expect it to take much longer to commission Unit 8 because we have learned many lessons from the current unit.
</blockquote>
After the commissioning of Hwange 7 &amp; 8, ZESA intends to start major rehabilitation of the existing units to restore their capacity to 930 MW.
The government has reportedly secured US$310 million from the Export-Import Bank of India for the exercise. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/hwange-unit-7-testing-in-final-stages/">The Herald</a>

Hwange Power Station Unit 7 Testing In Final Stages - Soda

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Gloria Magombo on Tuesday said the commissioning of two new units at Hwange Thermal Power Station will take time.
These two new units will add 600MW to the national grid, but it may not happen soon.
Addressing the media after a Cabinet meeting in Harare yesterday, Magombo said:
<blockquote>
Commissioning of a plant is not an event, it’s a process. When we talk about commissioning Hwange 7, each part has to be commissioned independently and certified as working 100%, before they move on to the next one.
If there’s something not working properly, they have to stop, look at it, and correct it. As they do that, they look at the critical path in terms of when they can put that unit on the grid.
</blockquote>
She said the other part of commissioning is the construction of transmission power lines including a 400km line from Hwange to Bulawayo’s Insukamini sub-station.
Watch the video below for more:
<div>
<video controls="controls" height="356" preload="metadata" width="640"><a href="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gloria-Magombo.mp4">https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gloria-Magombo.mp4</a></video></div>
Meanwhile, On Tuesday, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was generating only 494MW from its five power stations located in Bulawayo, Munyati, Harare, Hwange and Kariba.
On the same day, Zimbabwe was importing 50MW from Mozambique’s HCB, up to 169MW from ESKOM, 100MW from Zambia’s ZESCO, and 10MW from EDM in Mozambique.
Magombo said the country has agreed with EDM to increase supplies to 50MW, while there is an agreement for a further 150MW from Mozambique. | <a href="https://newzwire.live/govts-latest-energy-update-there-is-bad-news-and-slightly-less-bad-news/">newZWire</a>

"Commissioning Of Hwange Units 7 & 8 Will Take Time"

Harare City Council (HCC) has said incessant power cuts have affected the scheduled water rationing scheme.
The local government authority announced at the end of November that it would <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/harare-city-resolves-to-ration-water/">start rationing water citing challenges in water production.</a>
In a statement seen by Pindula News, the local government authority said efforts were being made to establish a sustainable solution. Read the statement:
<blockquote>
<h2>Water Status Update</h2>
The Environment Management Committee has resolved that Council rations water in the wake of suppressed water production.
Our local aluminum sulphate supplier is facing production challenges while the delivery of the imported granular substitute has also been inconsistent thereby affecting portable water production and subsequent equitable distribution to residents of Harare.
On Sunday Council received four loads of imported granular, aluminum sulphate with a further 16 loads still enroute from Beira to Harare.
Production at Morton Jaffray Water Works currently stands at 136 megalitres out of an available capacity of 450ML and Prince Edward 78.
All efforts are being made to work out sustainable solution to the problems.
Residents are therefore encouraged to use availed supplies conservatively all the time they receive water.
All inconveniences caused are sincerely regretted.
</blockquote>
In the latest update gleaned by Pindula News, the city fathers said the schedule had been disrupted by power cuts. Read the statement:
<blockquote>
The City of Harare wishes to advise all the residents and other stakeholders that the incessant power cuts have affected the scheduled water rationing scheme. Some parts of the city which receive water through a series of pumping will be greatly affected. Any inconveniences caused are sincerely regretted.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe imports a total of 250MW from neighbouring countries and that is not enough to cover the deficit.
According to a power update by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) on 5 December 2022, all power generators were contributing a combined total of 501 MW against a peak demand of 2 200 MW.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Harare City Says "Incessant Power Cuts Have Affected Scheduled Water Rationing Scheme"

Energy company Zimbabwe Zhongxin Electric Company (ZZEC), is set to commission its 50-megawatt thermal power plant in Hwange in October, the country’s first coal-fired plant owned by a private firm.
Minister Soda told The Sunday Mail Business in an interview that the company was waiting for equipment to evacuate power from the plant to the grid.
He said a 5MW solar plant at Cross Mabele in the Matabeleland North province will be commissioned in the next two weeks while Harava Solar was targeting to start feeding 6MW of electricity onto the national grid before the end of the year. Said minister Soda:
<blockquote>
We did a site visit at ZZEC recently and they assured us by September, the plant will be up and running.
It will open in two phases, starting with25 MW.
</blockquote>
Soda added that the new plant will boost power supplies and narrow the gap between demand and supply since the power generated from the plant will be fed into the national grid.
Zimbabwe is currently producing an average of 1 400MW from its main production plants — Kariba hydroelectric and Hwange Thermal Station.
However, Hwange has of late been unreliable due to frequent breakdowns as the equipment is now too old.
There is, however, a plan to renovate the old plant while two additional new units are being built under the US$1,4 billion deal between Chinese Sino Hydro and Zesa.  The new units, now about 70 per cent complete will add 600MW onto the national grid.
When the extension is complete, Hwange Thermal will have four 120MW units from the first phase, two 220MW units from the second stage and the two 300MW units from the new third phase to give a total capacity of 1 520MW.
Zimbabwe has in recent years one of the most debilitating power shortages that saw some parts of the country<a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/11/07/zimbabwe-businesses-turn-to-alternative-sources-of-energy/"> going for 18 hours without power at the peak of the crisis.</a>
The Southern African country has also been importing power from South Africa and Mozambique.
More: <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/zesa-to-compensate-for-power-surge-damages">The Sunday Mail</a>

ZZEC Set To Commission Its 50-Megawatt Thermal Power Plant

Zimbabwean renowned and award-winning writer, Tsitsi Dangarembga has said that China does not offer “free help” as everything is a business to the Asian giant.
She was responding to reports saying that<a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2020/04/28/china-to-help-zimbabwe-build-a-2100-mw-thermal-power-plant-report/"> a Chinese Company Gezhouba Group Corp will “help” Zimbabwe to build a 2100 MW Thermal Power Plant</a>, a project worth R3 BIllion.
Dangarembga tweeted:
<blockquote>There is no such thing as “help” at this level, <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="WeArePindula" href="https://twitter.com/WeArePindula/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@WeArePindula</a>. It is always a business transaction.</blockquote>
The alleged deal comes when Zimbabwe has an energy crisis that has seen many areas going without power for about 18 hours during the peak of the crisis.
Dangarembga’s remarks come when China is being criticised across the world for its unsustainable loans to which have landed many developing countries in unserviceable debts.
Resultantly, receiving countries end up losing their mineral resources and control over the extraction of those resources, a scenario which some describe as tantamount to neocolonialism.
Meanwhile, many developing countries, including Zimbabwe, prefer “aid” or “loans” from China as they have “fewer strings attached” compared to those of Western states which normally “intervene in domestic affairs” of receiving countries.
More: <a href="https://twitter.com/efie41209591/status/1255426719252721668">Tsitsi Dangarembga</a>

Tsitsi Dangarembga Says It's Always "A Business Transaction" With China, "Not Help"

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), says that the USD$1.5 billion Hwange Expansion project – Unit 7 and 8 is going according to schedule and will add 600MW to the national grid upon completion in 2022. The statement reads:
<blockquote>The USD$1.5 billion Hwange Expansion project – Unit 7 and 8, commenced on 1 August 2018. To date, the project is at 18% to completion and on schedule.
Come January 2022 Hwange Expansion will deliver 600MW to the national electricity grid. In progress are the site levelling works for the power plant, excavations sections for unit 8 boiler house section, concrete construction of unit 8 main power building foundation, rerouting of ash pipes and Cooling Tower Water Forebay foundation.
Meanwhile, concrete construction of foundation for main power building, unit 8 section, batching plant and the construction of the chimney foundation are now complete.</blockquote>

USD$1.5 Billion Hwange Expansion Project Well On Course - ZESA

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) intends to recruit more than 100 workers on a fixed term contract of up to 36 months for the Hwange Thermal Power Station expansion project.
The expansion of Unit 7 and 8 is expected to produce an additional 600 megawatts. The two units will each generate 300MW of electricity to be fed into the national grid while raising Hwange Power Station’s installed capacity to 1 520MW from the current 920MW. Said ZPC:
<blockquote>The company is now on the execution stage of the 600MW Hwange Power Station expansion project. We are therefore inviting suitably qualified and motivated persons for the various vacant positions of the project that have arisen on a fixed term contract basis of up to 36 months.</blockquote>
ZPC indicated that from the 27 positions that have been created, the project requires engineers in areas such as mechanical, electrical, control and instrumentation, quality and risk as well as other administrative jobs that include logistics. The project will be undertaken by Sino Hydro of China and will take 42 weeks to complete.
More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/zpc-to-recruit-100-workers/">Chronicle</a>

ZESA To Recruit 100 Workers For Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion Project

Indian Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu announced the Asian country will extend a $333 million to Zimbabwe for the upgrade of Hwange Thermal Power Station and rehabilitation of Bulawayo Thermal Power Plant.
$310 million will go towards the Hwange rehabilitation programme while $23 million will be used on the Bulawayo project. India will also give Zimbabwe a $19.5 million soft loan for the Deka Water Pipeline project in Hwange. Vice President Naidu’s statement reads:
<blockquote>During the visit, Vice President Naidu announced a $310 million line of credit for upgrading of Hwange Thermal Power Station additional $23 million line of credit for rehabilitation of Bulawayo Thermal Power Station and an additional $19,5 million line of credit for Deka Pumping and River Water Intake System. He also announced a grant for construction of Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre, $2,93 million grant for upgrading of Indo-Zim Technology Centre and gifting of 10 ambulances to Zimbabwe, live saving drugs and deputation in five specialised areas. This gesture was deeply appreciated by the Zimbabwe side.</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/333-million-from-india-hwange-bulawayo-power-stations-set-for-upgrades/">Chronicle</a>
<div class="sirius-dfp-inarticle"></div>

Zimbabwe To Receive $333 Million Loan From India To Upgrade Power Stations

Hwange Power Station Latest News

Latest Jobs