Chronicle Editor
HWANGE Thermal Power Station Unit 7 has passed technical commissioning which means it is now into commercial generation of electricity to feed into the national grid. The Unit has passed all tests and has been granted the Commercial Operation Date (COD) certificate confirming that it has successfully completed all tests. This is a milestone achievement as the unit is now into commercial operation feeding 300MW into the national grid.
Unit 8 is undergoing technical commissioning but the two units are expected to be commissioned before the end of the year.
Government has spent $1,4 billion on the Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 and 8 expansion project which is one of the flagship projects being implemented by the Second Republic to improve power generation and support the country’s industrialisation and modernisation programme.
There are very strong indications that load shedding will soon be a thing of the past as power generation has greatly improved. This is as a result of Unit 7 and 8 that are already feeding 600MW into the national grid.
The country is in fact meeting its daily power demand of almost 2 000MW which means companies and mines can operate on Zesa power throughout.
Government has said the main power generation plants including Kariba Hydro Power Station are being complemented by independent power producers that have invested in solar plants.
The coming in of Unit 7 and 8 is already being felt by both industrial and domestic consumers.
Zimbabwe has witnessed phenomenal growth in the mining sector during the past few years which is attributed to Government’s efforts to create an enabling environment.
The output of the mining sector increased from US$2,7 billion in 2017 to US$6 billion last year. Many new mines across the country have started production thereby boosting the confidence that the Government’s target of a US$12 billion mining industry by the end of this year will be realised.
The latest mine to come on board is Muchesu Coking Coal Project in Binga which started production recently. The mine which belongs to Contango Holdings, is targeting to produce 20 000 tonnes of washed coking coal a month.
Contango Holdings’ mine joins many other new mines that have started production across the country, a confirmation that Zimbabwe is fast becoming an investment destination of choice in the region and beyond.
Many Lithium mining projects are also taking shape across the country and very soon the country will be among the leading producers of lithium in the world. All these mines and industries being established are big consumers of electricity and as such Government’s investment in the Unit 7 and 8 expansion project was timely.
The country will soon be guaranteed adequate electricity throughout the year which will definitely impact positively in production and economic growth. Government has said its target is not just to generate power for the country’s consumption but to also export to the region and beyond and we have no reason to doubt that this will be realised soon.
Online Reporter