Rutendo Nyeve — Zimbabwe's power generation outlook received a significant boost on Tuesday with the successful restoration of Unit 6 at the Hwange Thermal Power Station, adding a crucial 120MW to the national grid.
The unit, which is one of the eight generators at the massive Hwange complex, had been out of service for some time.
In an official statement, Dr George Manyaya, the ZESA General Manager for Stakeholder Relations, announced the milestone.
"ZESA Holdings is pleased to inform its valued stakeholders that Hwange Unit 6 has successfully been restored to service," he said.
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"The unit has been synchronised to the national grid and is now fully operational, contributing to improved generation capacity.
"We extend our appreciation to all stakeholders for their patience and understanding during the outage period," said Dr Manyaya.
The return of Unit 6 reinforces the pivotal role of Hwange Power Station, a cornerstone of Zimbabwe's energy infrastructure.
As the country's largest thermal power plant, Hwange has consistently been the primary contributor to the national electricity supply, often accounting for over a half of the daily generation.
Its continued operation and maintenance are therefore critical for national productivity and domestic comfort.
The restoration is particularly timely as the nation navigates the power generation landscape.
The utility also provided an update on another unit at Hwange, assuring the public that planned maintenance is proceeding smoothly.
According to the daily power generation statistics from the Zimbabwe Power Company, Hwange continues to be the dominant source, supplying 1 090MW yesterday.
This was complemented by 488MW from Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Station and 55MW from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), bringing the day's total generation to 1 633MW.
The utility also provided an update on another unit at Hwange, assuring the public that planned maintenance is proceeding smoothly.
"Furthermore we inform the nation that Unit 3 is on schedule maintenance for 44 days and we would like to inform the nation that it is going well and our engineers are working on the maintenance and we expect it back on the grid early November," said Dr Manyaya.
Further optimism for the country's power supply stems from the improved performance at Kariba.
After a challenging period last year where generation plummeted to around 200MW due to severe low water levels, the Kariba Dam is now consistently providing a sustainable average of 400MW.
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