Construction of the new Zimbabwe ZhongXin Electrical Energy (ZZEE) thermal power plant has reached completion, with work on its substation currently 99% complete.
The completion comprises phase one of the project and is expected to produce 25 MW by September and a further 25 MW in October. Phase two involves the commissioning of two 135MW units, bringing the coal-fired power plant’s total capacity to 270MW.
Located approximately 10km west of Hwange Town, the project now awaits the arrival of isolator equipment expected to be dispatched from China in the next few weeks. Equipment needed for the 800kV high voltage line is currently in Johannesburg, en route to Hwange.
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Energy produced by the thermal power plant is expected to ease power supply shortages in the country and, upon completion, will consume 300,000 tons of coal annually. The ZZCC has been given a Coal Special Grant by the Government of Zimbabwe.
A subsidiary of the Zimbabwe ZhongXin Coking Company (ZZCC), the ZZEE project is a joint venture between Qualisave Mineral Resources of Zimbabwe and Yuxia ZhongXin Coking Company of China.
The move comes as part of a $1.5 billion expansion program for the Hwange Thermal Power Station, which will further entail the addition of two more units, which are currently at 66.73 percent completion and are expected to generate 300 MW each by 2025.
