Lincoln Towindo
News Editor
LOCAL power supplies are set to get a major boost over the next two weeks owing to the injection of an additional 100 megawatts (MW) into the grid from a refurbished unit at Hwange Thermal Power Station, as well as the release of power that was ring-fenced for the winter wheat crop, The Sunday Mail has learnt.
Winter months traditionally witness a spike in electricity demand due to increased consumption by households, businesses and farmers, leading to increased load-shedding.
This year, the Government ring-fenced about 100MW to irrigate winter wheat, which usually runs between May and July.
The authorities are now set to redeploy the power once the irrigation period comes to an end.
Further, a refurbished unit at Hwange is scheduled to be connected to the grid by the end of this month.
Electricity generation at the Kariba South Hydropower Station, which has been affected by low water inflows, is currently being strategically managed to ensure water in the reservoir can last up to the forthcoming rainy season.
Energy and Power Development Minister Edgar Moyo said load-shedding was set to ease soon.
“We had ring-fenced power for our winter cropping season,” he said.
“We had set aside 100MW because food security is very critical and we needed to support that.
“The winter wheat irrigation period starts in May and runs up to July.
“As you know, the hectarage that we planted this season is unprecedented in the history of this country, so a lot of power was required. In terms of power supply, we are currently generating between 1 400MW and 1 500MW, depending on availability of power for import in our regional pool.
“Demand is ranging at 1 800MW, which means we normally have a deficit of around 300MW.”
The shortages, he said, were also compounded by depressed generation capacity at Kariba.
“So, this is why there has been load-shedding,” he added.
“What we are anticipating is that immediately after the conclusion of the wheat irrigation period, we will be going back to normal since the power we had ring-fenced will go back to normal supplies.
“Another mitigatory measure we have is that one unit at Hwange — I am not sure if it is Unit 2 or Unit 5 — will come back on stream at the end of this month and add up to 100MW on the grid, thereby reducing the burden of load-shedding.”
Minister Moyo also said independent power producers were set to significantly up their power generation capacity by year-end, a development likely to reduce strain on the national grid.
“In the medium term, we have several other solar projects that will produce up to 140MW, which will come on stream by the end of the year.
“This power is being generated by independent power producers for their own use.
“But what that means is that it frees up power from the national grid, since they will no longer depend on supplies from ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority).
“So, you can see that we are on a trajectory where the mismatch between supply and demand is being gradually resolved.”
He said the authorities were managing Zimbabwe’s water allocation at Kariba to ensure that power generation continues until the onset of the rainy season.
“On Kariba, we have budgeted our water well to the extent that it will last us until the end of the year, producing an average 290MW.
“Presently, there is no plan to decommission power generation at Kariba South.
“So, in terms of our budgeting, the water will last until year-end.
“And we are hopeful that the La Niña phenomenon expected this year will help with addressing this problem since we are likely to get above-normal rainfall.”
