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ZESA Holdings has issued an update regarding the faults on the transmission grid and the challenges in power generation that have seen parts of the country going without electricity.
In a statement, the power utility said the first fault occurred on the ZESA grid on 12 December when a transmission tower collapsed at Ingwe Farm, leading to a critical outage on the 330kV line between Warren and Dema Substation. ”
As a result, the eastern parts of Harare, Manicaland, and nearby areas experienced a loss of power. Partial restoration has been achieved using the Mozambique Songo-Bindura corridor, providing 220MW of electricity,” read the statement.
Adding to the challenges, read the statement, a fault on the Mozambique EDM grid on 13 December caused a limitation on power supply through the Bindura connection. Mozambique’s EDM has restricted the loading of the line to only 60MW in the affected area. Consequently, a significant number of customers are still without electricity until the ZESA Grid-Warren Dema Line fault is rectified.
“ZESA Holdings acknowledges the general depression in power generation across the national grid, primarily due to the low water availability at Kariba. With the water lake level at a mere 11 84 percent, the daily average generation capacity has been significantly reduced to 300MW instead of the maximum capacity of 1050MW.”
“Furthermore, ZESA Holdings highlights the return of Hwange Unit 7 to service on November 30th after undergoing routine C-Type maintenance. Units 7 and 8 ran concurrently from December 1st to 8th, facilitating the C-Check on Unit 8, which began on December 8th. Initial assessments indicate that both plants have been constructed according to world-class standards,” read the statement.
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