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ZIMBABWE lost 300 megawatts of electricity after two units broke down at Hwange power station due to be expanded through Chinese funding next year, an official with the state power firm said on Wednesday.
The country is experiencing crippling power cuts blamed for keeping away potential investors in an economy struggling to emerge from a steep recession between 1999-2008 that saw the economy contract by nearly half.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Zimbabwe on Tuesday, China agreed to provide a loan of more than $ 1 billion to expand the Hwange plant by 600 MW.
Hwange, the nation’s biggest power plant, is designed to generate 920 MW but has been producing just more than half of its capacity due to frequent breakdown of its ageing equipment.
With the two units out of service, the power plant is generating about a third of its capacity.
“We expect Hwange unit 5 to come back on Thursday morning and unit 6 the following day,” Fullard Gwasira, spokesman for ZESA Holdings, told Reuters.
He said the two units broke down late on Tuesday at the plant located in western Zimbabwe.
The problems at the coal-fired Hwange, as well as low dam water levels at the Kariba hydro-power plant in the north of the country, have kept power generation below 900 MW, less than the country’s peak demand of 2,200 MW.
Six in 10 people have no access to electricity in Zimbabwe. It has, in the last two years approved several power projects, but which have so far failed to take off due to lack of funding.
Source-Newzimbabwe
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