Bulawayo Power Station to increase power generation from next week

THE Bulawayo Power Station will from next week start generating 60 megawatts of power up from 22 megawatts.

The power station had only been generating 22 megawatts due to a number of operational challenges such obsolute equipment, limited funds and low water supply, Radio Dialogue reported.

Ideally, the power station has an installed capacity of 120 megawatts and was only producing 22 megawatts.

Acting Operations Director, Wonder Magura, confirmed the station will next week aim to produce 60 megawatts, as part of efforts to test the power system to check whether it was still sustainable or not.

He said what was stopping the power station from producing more power than before was inadequate water supply, as it was using far much less than was required coupled by a number of operational problems.

"The 60 megawatts will increase power but would not completely eliminate the power problem. The demand for power is far much greater than supply," Magura pointed out.

He added the plant is unreliable because it was old, since it was commissioned in 1946 and 1957.

"It has old and absolute equipment and some of the spares required for the machinery are now unavailable."

Concerning the water shortage, Magura said obviously, the way forward was to look for alternative water sources and the power station had identified Khami Dam.

"The power station has reached an agreement with the Bulawayo City Council to draw water from Khami Dam. The council had decommissioned the dam so council had to give permission to use the  water.

"The dam is just 18 kilometres away from the power station so a pipe is needed to transport water. The water will be treated at the water treatment plant located in the site," he said.

Magura said besides drawing water from Khami Dam, the station had drilled boreholes to reclaim underground water.

A refurbishment exercise was done in 1999 on six 15 megawatts boilers and three 30 megawatts turbo-alternators it was done by Babcock, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority and ABB Stal.

This saw the plant derated to 90 megawatts as four by 7.5 megawatts boilers and two by 15 megawatts turbo-alternators were decommissioned.

The refurbishment exercise was completed in 2001 August and the station now has a firm generating capacity of 90 megawatts.