Africa Moyo

Business Reporter

EXPANSION of Kariba South Power Station to add an additional 300MW to the national grid is on schedule, with the project forecast for completion within set timeframes.

The project dovetails with regional pursuits meant to pull Sadc out of the electricity deficit position it is presently in.

Indications are that by 2018 the power supply situation in Zimbabwe and the region would have improved significantly.

Zimbabwe Power Company MD Engineer Noah Gwariro told The Sunday Mail Business that although there were some hiccups, the project would be concluded by December 2017 as planned.

ZPC is a unit of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority.

The injection of 300MW into the local power pool will help alleviate shortages blighting domestic and industrial users.

Already, drilling of four of the six access tunnels has been completed, with the rest on course for completion in the “next few weeks”.

“Drilling and blasting is in progress to carve out the underground powerhouse and the head race tunnels which will direct water from the lake to the turbines.

“We are also working on the excavation of the intake and outlet areas. Manufacturing and procurement of the electromechanical equipment has started in China, and these will monitored and reviewed until completion.

“We are on schedule and we anticipate that the first generation unit will be commissioned in December 2017, and the second in March 2018,” said Eng Gwariro.

He said they had put in place a recovery plan for the two remaining access tunnels.

The project is being undertaken by Sino Hydro Corporation largely via a US$533 million China Exim Bank loan. Sino Hydro owns about 70 percent of China’s thermal power stations.

On completion, Kariba South Power Station’s generation capacity will grow from of 750MW to 1 050MW.

There are, however, lingering concerns over the project cost after Sino Hydro quoted Zambia’s government US$421,1 million for a bigger project – the Kariba North Bank project in Siavonga to generate 360MW.

Kariba North Bank extension began in 2008 and was completed on August 20, 2014 with the commissioning of the second and final 180MW generator.

Meanwhile, Eng Gwariro said expansion of Hwange Thermal Power Station had also started and preliminary geotechnical and topographical studies were complete.

“Upon finalisation of financial closure, it is expected that the first unit will be commissioned after 36 months,” he said.

It is estimated that expansion of the thermal power plant, which will feed 600MW to the grid, will gobble more than US$1,1 billion. Government’s power projects will augment similar efforts across Sadc.

According to Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), a grouping of power utilities, Zimbabwe has an installed capacity of 2 045MW. However, as at last Thursday, the country was generating 1 349MW, with Kariba and Hwange producing a combined 1 270MW.

The two have installed capacity of 1 670MW. On completion, the country’s two marquee projects will bring an additional 900MW to the national grid and catapult installed generation capacity to 2 945MW.

The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority has licensed 22 power projects, 19 of them private and three State-owned. Only four private producers, all in the Eastern Highlands are feeding the national power grid. These are Duru (2,2MW), Nyamingura (1,1MW), Pungwe A (2,75MW) and Chisumbanje Power Plant (8MW).

Triangle Limited, which has an installed capacity of 45MW and Hippo Valley (33MW), are generating power for own consumption using bagasse.

Chisumbanje is consuming about 4MW at its ethanol project.

Pungwe B is expected to be commissioned this year and will contribute 15MW to the grid.

Eng Gwariro also said the tender for the 30MW Gairezi hydroelectric project, also in the Eastern Highlands, closed on June 9, 2015; while adjudication of the commercial envelope for 300MW solar projects concluded and documents were with the State Procurement Board.

The Zimbabwe Power Company, a Zesa subsidiary, is also fulfilling conditions for funding of Harare Power Station repowering project while tenders for Bulawayo and Munyati power stations ran until June 16, 2015.

A revised project schedule released by Zera last Wednesday showed that Pan-African Energy Resource, the French developers of the 2 000MW coal-fired plant in Binga, plan to commission the first phase of the project by mid-2019.

Overall, Sadc has reduced the power deficit by 3 000MW over the last year and is expected to add another 27 000MW by 2018 as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, DRC, Angola and South Africa ramp up generation.

The region has peak demand of 54 000MW against generation capacity of 51 000 MW.

Since the last major electricity crisis in the region in 2008, power demand has increased and power projects generating 1 100MW are commissioned annually. But until 2018, load shedding is expected to continue.

South Africa is enduring electricity blackouts but has some five projects targeted for commissioning this year, producing an additional 1 828MW.

Coal will contribute the largest share of the new generation capacity in South Africa, with the coal-fired Medupi Power Station expected to have additional capacity of 738MW by the end of this year. The country is also expected to contribute 435MW from co-generation capacity between national power utility Eskom and an IPP.

Botswana recently announced it would load shed this winter. That country has peak demand of 600MW and relies on imports from Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia.

Shumba Coal, a Botswana company, announced Tuesday that it plans to develop a solar power station to generate up to 200MW of electricity.

The Zambia Power Rehabilitation Project has so far rehabilitated and upgraded the Kafue Gorge Power Station from 900MW to 990MW, reinstated the Victoria Falls Power Station to its full generating capacity of 108MW and up-rated the Kariba North Bank power station from 600MW to 720MW.

Kariba North Bank Extension (360MW) was completed last year while the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro Project (750MW) is set for completion in 2017. Itezhi-Tezhi Hydro Power Project (120MW) was completed in February 2015.

Construction of the 14,8MW Lunzua hydro power plant has also been completed at a cost of US$51,6 million.

An estimated 80 percent of Malawians live in rural areas and the bulk of them use paraffin burners locally known as “kaliboyi” or “nyale” for lighting due to the country’s low power capacity.

Malawi has installed capacity of 351MW against demand of 360MW.

Estimates show country will require not less than 1 000MW by 2018.

Angola plans to spend US$23,3 billion on 65 water and electricity projects over the next two years, while the DRC is due to add 430MW this year.