Before the refurbishment, Hwange was generating an average of 300 megawatts as the plant frequently broke down due to old age.

Hwange Thermal Power Station has an installed generation capacity of 920MW from six units. The station was built in two stages, with the first four units commissioned between 1983 and 1986, and the final two commissioned in 1986 and 1987.

“Following the refurbishment of unit five at Hwange Power Station, the station is consistently running 5 units at an average of 500 megawatts. Unit six is expected to return to service in December,” the ZPC said in a statement on Thursday.

Once complete, refurbishment of unit six is expected to add a further 170 megawatts to the national grid.

“ZPC remains committed to maintain plant efficiency by adhering to scheduled maintenance programmes,” said ZPC.

According to daily power generation statistics by the ZPC, Hwange Power Station was generating 464 megawatts on Thursday. Zesa is currently importing power from neighboring countries to bridge shortfalls in supply, which is far outstripped by demand. But still the nation faces supply shortages, and has had to contend with power rationing of up to 10 hours a day. —New Ziana