RYAN CHIGOCHE
Power utility ZESA Holdings has restored three units at Kariba Power Station after temporarily shelving refurbishment works on the dam, it said yesterday, promising minimal load shedding during the festive season.
The power utility warned on Tuesday that Zimbabwe would experience increased load shedding outside the schedule as it had taken out three units facilitate the “urgent’’ refurbishment of the wall amid fears customers would endure a dark festive season.
In a statement yesterday said the refurbishment will now begin early January.
“Zesa Holdings would like to advise its valued stakeholders countrywide that the 3 units that were taken out of service at Kariba South Hydro Power Station to facilitate the urgent dam wall rehabilitation works have since been returned to service,” it said.
“The return to service of the units will restore 345Mw of power supply to the national grid thus significantly reducing the power supply gap that had increased load shedding.”
The power utility said there would be “minimal load shedding” during the festive season effective December 16.
Some residential suburbs are enduring power cuts ranging up from 8 to 12 hours, and sometimes longer, as a result of Zesa’s distribution arm, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, current load-shedding schedule.
The Kariba South power station is a 1,050MW hydroelectric power plant located on the Zambezi River at the Kariba Gorge.
It is currently the biggest power plant by installed capacity in Zimbabwe.
The Kariba South power station was originally developed with six generating units commissioned between 1959 and 1962.
The facility was expanded by two additional units of 150MW capacity each in March 2018.
The power plant has an installed capacity of 1050MW.
