New thermal power plant to feed 50 MW to national grid




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ZIMBABWE’S drive to end power shortages in the country is on course after the completion of a new thermal power plant in Hwange which is expected to feed 50 megawatts to the national grid by October this year.

The first privately owned thermal power station will feed 25 megawatts into the national grid in September and the other half the following month in October.

“Construction work on the thermal plant being implemented by a Chinese company Zimbabwe Zhongxin Electrical Energy (ZZEE) about 10km west of Hwange town is 100 percent complete, while work on the substation is 99 percent, waiting for arrival of isolator equipment which is set to be dispatched from China in the next few weeks,” said Mr Shiwei Wang, ZZEE general manager

Equipment for the 800kv high voltage line is now in Johannesburg, South Africa enroute to Hwange.

“The only outstanding issues for the plant now is the substation which we are modifying according to ZETDC specifications. All operational personnel have already arrived also,” he added.

Energy and Power Development Minister, Honourable Soda Zhemu was on an assessment tour of the projects this Thursday.

“We are excited about this project. This is the first private thermal power project in Zimbabwe and it is privately owned,” said the minister.

ZZEE plans to roll-out two 135 megawatt plants in the second phase early next year, while the third phase, which is expected to be completed in 2025, will result in construction of two plants, each with a capacity of producing 300 megawatts.

The company is working in partnership with the Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company (ZETDC).