Hwange – The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has announced that it will switch off one of it’s thermal electricity generation units in Hwange to undergo maintenance at a time when power generation is lowest in the country.
The latest move by ZESA will increase electricity cuts that are already affecting the country.
Power cuts in Zimbabwe are common and households have up to 24 hours with electricity.
”ZESA Holdings wishes to inform it’s valued stakeholders that Hwange Unit 3 will undergo statutory maintenance from 10 September to 24 October 2025, a planned outage of 44 days,” ZESA said in a statement.
”The exercise is essential to enhance the unit’s availability and reliability. During this period, Hwange Power Station will maintain four units in operation to support generation.”
”We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and greatly appreciate your understanding and continued support.”
Zimbabwe generates around 1500 MW of electricity mainly from Hwange Power station and Kariba hydro power station.
The country requires at least 2200 MW to supply the country.
Hwange provides over 1100 MW to the national grid while Kariba 400 MW.
Water in Kariba dam is at its lowest during the most dry time of the year which impacts on electricity generation.
Kariba dam is on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It is run by the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) with officials from Lusaka and Harare.
Zimbabweans who are long used to power cuts have been resorting to using firewood, gas and solar to cook and light their households and businesses.