KEY POINTS
- Zimbabwe has signed a 15 year concession with Jindal Steel to refurbish ageing units at Hwange power station.
- The project is expected to add 400 megawatts within four years and reduce power shortages.
- Ageing infrastructure and climate related droughts continue to strain the country’s energy supply.
Zimbabwe is moving to shore up its fragile electricity supply with plans to add 400 megawatts power to the national grid through a major upgrade of the Hwange coal fired power plant, according to the state owned utility ZESA.
The Hwange Power Plant, valued at $455 million, is expected to deliver power equivalent to about a fifth of the country’s current demand, offering some relief to households and businesses battered by prolonged outages.
Jindal Deal Sealed
Authorities have signed a 15 year concession agreement with the Africa focused unit of India’s Jindal Steel to refurbish several age
ing units at Hwange.
The deal received cabinet approval in September and was finalised in December, ZESA acting chief executive Cletus Nyachowe said on Monday.
Nyachowe said the agreement would significantly improve generation capacity and reliability at the plant, which has struggled with frequent breakdowns linked to its age.
Rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026, with the additional 400 megawatts expected to come on stream within 48 months. Officials say the upgrade will modernise equipment installed decades ago and restore output closer to design levels.
Zimbabwe currently produces only about half of its estimated 2,000 megawatts of electricity demand, forcing widespread power cuts that have weighed on economic growth and industrial output.
