Work on Lake Gwayi-Shangani power station begins

THE construction of a 10MW mini-hydropower station at Lake Gwayi-Shangani has commenced in Lupane, Matabeleland North Province, as Zimbabwe under the Second Republic scales up the momentum towards energy supply efficiency in line with the growing needs of the economy.

At the same time, another contractor has started building the Gwayi-Shangani-Bulawayo pipeline pump stations, buttressing the Government’s commitment to expedite completion of the century-old water project.

The Lake Gwayi-Shangani project is one of the top infrastructure projects earmarked for completion in 2024, President Mnangagwa declared early this year.

The massive water project has multiple benefits, including ending Bulawayo’s perennial water challenges, creating a greenbelt in Matabeleland North, and contributing to national food security as 10 000 hectares will be placed under irrigation.

It will also have a positive impact on the tourism sector. The project has three main components, which are the construction of the dam wall, establishment of a mini-hydro power station, and the conveyance pipeline.

The construction of the mini-hydropower station is in line with the Government’s policy of generating clean energy at every major dam construction site, which dovetails with the broader plans to migrate to environmentally friendly energy investments for future sustainability.

The Lake Gwayi-Shangani mini hydropower station is, thus, expected to power the local community, including irrigation schemes, while feeding excess energy to the national grid.

A Chronicle news crew yesterday visited Lake Gwayi-Shangani and observed that significant groundwork has been made on the construction of the mini-hydropower station.

The foundation for the mini-hydropower station has been completed while concrete has been placed around the station to anchor solid footing.

After conducting a tour of the project, one of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) officials presented the news crew with a report detailing the work that has been done so far.

The report was presented to Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo who toured the project on Monday.

The report shows that the Treasury released US$2 million in February to finance works to be done on the ground.

“On the mini-hydro-power station, we have been fabricating and installing penstock or what we call the steel pressure pipes. We have also done the de-watering of the foundation.

“The mini-hydro-power station will have two generators producing 5MW each. The generated power will be added to the national grid,” reads part of the summarised report.

The report further notes that the contractor suspended all the work last Wednesday due to resource constraints and hopes are high that with resources being available more progress will be recorded.

However, despite the temporary suspension of work, some workers were seen yesterday working on the steel pipes of the mini-hydro power station.

A Chinese contractor working on site has said as opposed to importing steel pipes, they fabricate materials on site while also skilling locals, a development that is assisting the country in cutting costs.

The report further states that work on the dam wall had stalled due to none disbursement of funds. Contacted for comment, Minister Moyo said it was pleasing to note that despite delays in disbursement of funds, there is progress on the ground.

“I visited the project yesterday where I was briefed that the contractor has started the construction of the mini-hydro power station.

“However, delays in the disbursement of funds have partially affected the project. We are hoping in the next two to three weeks, Treasury will release more funds so that even the works on the dam wall can resume.

“This is an important project that President Mnangagwa said should be prioritised this year,” said Minister Moyo.
He also confirmed that works on the Gwayi-Shangani- Bulawayo pipeline are moving smoothly.

“Teams are on the ground doing construction of the pump stations for the project. They are constructing pumps two and three but in total six pump stations will be established,” said Cde Moyo.

“These pump stations are part of the Gwayi-Shangani-Bulawayo pipeline and will be used to pump water from the dam to Bulawayo and along the way enable pumping for lined up irrigation schemes to access water.” — @nqotshili.