Zimbabwe stands on the brink of gaining an additional 600 megawatts of electricity which will provide much-needed relief from the country’s ongoing power outages. This boost is expected to come through the culmination of the Deka Upgradation Project at Hwange Thermal Power Station, a landmark infrastructural development aimed at boosting power generation in the Southern African nation.
The project at Hwange, costing US$48.1 million, was rendered possible through collaboration between the governments of Zimbabwe and India, with funding offered by the Indian Exim Bank. Critically, a 42-kilometer pipeline is being built to supply water to the station and surrounding communities, considerably increasing the hourly intake from 3,500 to 6,000 cubic meters. Its completion will go far in resolving the long-suffering water shortages at the plant.
Initiated in October 2021, Energy and Power Development minister Edgar Moyo stated the undertaking is a significant step towards reinforcing Zimbabwe’s electricity generating infrastructure, indispensable for realizing the national vision of an empowered upper-middle-income economy by 2030. The additional output will relieve pressure on the beleaguered national grid during times of peak demand.
“The Deka Upgradation Project is a significant step towards enhancing our electricity generating infrastructure and achieving our national vision of an empowered upper-middle-class economy by 2030,” he said.
“It is expected to generate an additional 600MW of power at Hwange, bringing the country closer to its goal of universal access to modern energy services. We are committed to ensuring that all Zimbabweans have access to modern energy services and this project is a significant step towards achieving that goal,” said the minister.
Zimbabwe has long struggled with punishing power outages that have lately intensified as drought rendered its main hydroelectric source, Lake Kariba, a pale shadow of its former abundant self. Minister Moyo aptly asserted the necessity for cooperation with private energy sector stakeholders if the country hoped to surmount its electricity supply crisis.
“The fiscus does not have the capacity to meet the country’s energy capital requirements and thus government cannot do it alone. This is a challenge facing all developing nations worldwide. I, therefore, call upon the private sector to actively participate in this area and contribute towards the development of our lovely country. I am glad that some private players have already heeded the call,” he said.
In a ray of hope, Zimbabwe Zhongxin Electrical Energy recently launched operations at a novel 50-megawatt thermal station along the Deka River in Hwange, bolstering national capacity. Should public-private collaborations like this 50MW Deka plant blossom and projects such as the ambitious Deka Upgradation initiative come to successful fruition, Zimbabwe may at long last emerge from the darkness of load shedding into a bright future of reliable, sustainable power.
