Zimbabwe thermal plant upgrade to add 400 megawatts to grid

Zimbabwe will add 400 megawatts to its power grid, a fifth of the country's current electricity demand, under a $455 million upgrade of its Hwange coal-fired power plant, the head of state-owned power utility ZESA said.

The Southern African country has signed a 15-year concession deal with a foreign company for the refurbishment of some of the thermal power plant's ageing units.

The deal, which was approved by Zimbabwe's cabinet on September 17, was finalised and signed in December, ZESA's acting CEO Cletus Nyachowe said in an update seen by Reuters on Monday.

"The 15-year agreement will lead to enhanced power generation, which will add 400 MW to our output within the next 48 months," Nyachowe said.

Rehabilitation scheduled for early 2026

"Rehabilitation work is set to commence in the first quarter of 2026,” he added.

Zimbabwe currently meets half of its 2,000 MW electricity demand and experiences extended power cuts due to diminishing capacity at its power plants.

The 1,520 MW Hwange plant, the country's largest, was upgraded in 2023 with the commissioning of two units adding 600 MW. But older units built in the 1980s are operating at a third of their capacity due to breakdowns.

The Kariba hydropower station, built in the 1960s, completed a 300 MW upgrade in 2018, which boosted its capacity to 1,050 MW. But its generation capacity has also dipped in recent years because of climate change-induced droughts.