The Sunday Mail
Senior Business Reporter
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) says power generation in the third quarter of the year remained stable, with 2 521,27 Giga Watts hour (GWh) being sent out.
ZPC surpassed its production target of 2 116,99GWh in the period under review by 19,10 percent.
The performance was 24,21 percent above the output achieved in the same period last year.
ZPC said the positive achievement is attributable to increased electricity generation at Kariba Power Station, following a spike in water allocation by the Zambezi River Authority by 3Bm3 in August.
This saw ZPC increasing the average output for the remaining months of the year to 831MW.
On Thursday, Kariba was generating 821MW.
Said ZPC in a third quarter statement released on Thursday: “This (increase in water allocations) came as a welcome development to ZPC as it resulted in increased generation at Kariba South Power Station, which now has a generation capacity of 1050MW owing to the recent commissioning of the 2 X 150MW additional units.”
For the year to date, ZPC sent out 6342,54GWh, surpassing the target for the period by 4,92 percent.
In the third quarter, ZPC started works at two of its projects — the Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion and the Deka Upgrade, which were both incorporated into the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI).
RRI is a Government initiative that seeks to achieve tangible results and accelerate results — producing and momentum — building projects within 100 days or less.
The expansion of Hwange Thermal Power Station, where two brand new units — 7 and 8 — will be added, officially kicked off on August 1, setting the stage for increased power generation.
Commencement works at Hwange, which include excavations and design reviews, are ongoing.
The scope of major works for the Hwange Expansion project requires construction of a new powerline that shall encroach in several rural and peri-urban communities between Hwange and Bulawayo.
In line with ZPC’s value of uplifting the welfare of communities in which it operates, the company is expected to implement a Resettlement Action Plan that seeks to resettle and compensate those affected by the construction of the new powerline for units 7 and 8.
On completion in the next 42 months, a combined 600MW will be generated and fed into the national grid from the two units.
ZPC says as part of continuously improving its operations and observing quality standards, the company is continually exploring various methods and technologies that have the potential to transform their operations.
Currently, the company is looking into Plasma Ignition Technology for its thermal power stations.
The innovation is expected to significantly improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
ZPC said as the year 2018 draws to a close, the company will continue making strides towards ensuring that all its power projects are a “resounding success and accomplish our ultimate goal of achieving self-sustenance in electricity as we power Zimbabwe into the future”.
In the third quarter, ZPC recorded four lost time injuries.
ZPC’s cumulative loss time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) for the third quarter stands at 2,35, which is within the company’s target limit of 3,0.
