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Herald Reporter
ZESA Holdings has assured customers that normal electricity supply from Hwange Power Station is expected to resume today as they are in the process of fixing Units 2 and 5 to restore power supply to the national grid.
This comes after Unit 1 boiler caught fire yesterday evening leading to a three-hour load shedding in some areas.
No casualties were however, recorded.
In a statement, ZESA board chairman Dr Sydney Gata said the fire was caused by a leak in the diesel supply line.
“ZESA Holdings wishes to advise its valued stakeholders that one of the units at Hwange Power Station caught fire around 5pm this evening (yesterday). The fire broke out in the Unit 1 boiler as a result of a leak in the diesel supply line and lasted for about 40 minutes. There were no casualties arising from the fire,” Dr Gata said in the statement.
While the accident necessitated a three-hour load shedding, ZESA holdings said normal supply is expected to resume today.
“Although we lost 140MW leading to load shedding between 5.30pm and 8.30pm due to suspension of load on units 2 and 5, we are in the process of firing the two units to restore power supply to the national grid,” he said, adding that normal supply was expected to resume today.
Hwange Power Station, is the country’s largest thermal power producer with an installed capacity of 920MW.
It was however, only producing 293MW, according to the power generation update released on Monday by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).
According to the energy supply report, Hwange Power Station contributed 35 percent of the total energy production in the last quarter, while Kariba Power Station contributed 63 percent, with six percent of the energy being exported to Namibian power utility.
Online Reporter