Zimbabwe Faces Power Blackouts as ZESA Shuts Down Hwange Units for Maintenance
THE month of March is set to bring misery to Zimbabweans, who will have to endure incessant power cuts after the country’s electricity utility announced plans to shutdown two units at Hwange Power Station.
The move is aimed at allowing routine maintenance to be done on Unit 6 and 7 at the thermal power station, which is one of the major sources of energy in the country.
In a statement at the weekend, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings announced the impending shutdown for scheduled plant maintenance aimed at ensuring the long-term reliability and efficiency of the country’s ageing power generation infrastructure.
According to the notice, Hwange’s Unit 7 will be subjected to a Class B maintenance programme from March 2 to March 29, 2025.
This development comes after the successful completion of a Class C maintenance programme for Hwange Unit 8, which was done in January 2025.
“Additionally, Hwange Unit 6 will be taken offline for statutory maintenance from March 15 to May 14, 2025, a critical step to prepare the unit for increased power generation during the peak winter season.
“The maintenance activities are part of ZESA’s proactive approach to ensuring the stability and sustainability of Zimbabwe’s power supply,” reads part of the statement.
While the outages may temporarily supress available generation capacity, ZESA has guaranteed the consumers that mitigation measures were being considered to ease the impending blackouts.
ZESA has emphasized that Kariba’s output will be carefully managed to address periods of low supply, with adjustments made as necessary to conserve water resources for future use.
This balanced approach aims to maintain a sustainable energy mix while minimizing the impact on consumers.
The power utility emphasised its commitment to delivering reliable and efficient power supply, underscoring the importance of these maintenance activities in safeguarding the nation’s energy infrastructure.
Zimbabwe has been facing electricity generation challenges for decades owing to obsolete infrastructure at its hydroelectricity and thermal power plants.
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