HARARE – Struggling Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings has extended electricity power cuts across the country following the complete loss of power from Hwange Thermal Power Station, the firm said.

The announcement by ZESA follows severe power cuts that have hit the country over the past two weeks, now affecting some areas even in Harare’s central business district.

The power cuts have seen some areas going without power for 15-24 hours, affecting businesses and home owners.

"These forced outages caused complete loss of generation at Hwange and in the process resulting in major equipment damage," ZESA said in a statement over the weekend.

"Hwange power station is making efforts to bring back those generation units they have repaired, one at a time, and hopes to achieve 350MW production within a week,” the power utility added.

According to ZESA Hwange power station experienced “25 instant shut downs in the last 45 days resulting in the equipment damage”.

"Once a machine is damaged, it takes between four and seven days for it to cool down before an assessment can be made, the period in which our valued customers also experience severe load shedding due to lack of generation."

Hwange, like Kariba hydro power station, has been dogged by ageing equipment and lack of funding to buy spares to revamp its units.

Zimbabwe is currently producing 1 100MW against a peak demand of 2 000MW and imports between 300-500MW, mostly from Mozambique and Zambia.

Zimbabwe has over the years failed to attract independent power producers despite having several power projects on the cards, which if implemented would make the country a net exporter of electricity.

But an unstable political environment and lack of policies that encourage private sector investment in the sector has kept potential investors away.

A unity coalition formed last February between rivals President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that had raised investors' hopes may yet collapse because of constant squabbles over how to share executive power.

State-owned power company ZESA has struggled to raise revenue from customers since the introduction of multi-currencies early this year as part of reforms to lift the southern African country from a deep economic crisis.

ZESA is seeking an independent power producer to develop its Gokwe North power plant to produce 1 400MW at a cost of US$1.6 billion.

To guarantee adequate supply, Zimbabwe has long planned to add two more units at Hwange, generating 300MW each, and expand its Kariba hydro power plant with two generators, adding 150MW each by 2012 at a total cost of US$800 million.

Zimbabwe could also put on its grid 300MW from Lupane Gas project, a Greenfield project at a cost of US$300 million while ZESA jointly owns with Zambia the Batoka power project with potential to generate 1 600MW at a cost of US$1.8 billion

By Zimonline