News / Local
Bulawayo Thermal Power Station resumes operations
19 Apr 2016 at 23:33hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo Thermal Power Station resumed operations yesterday afternoon after a weeklong shut down due to equipment breakdown.
The station was shutdown last Wednesday following a suspected tube leak on boiler 8.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) had said most of the boilers were out of service and were taken for repair.
"Boiler 5 is on statutory inspection. Boiler 6 was taken out of service on April 12, 2016 at 1005hrs for grate repairs. Boiler 7 is on grate repairs and external cleaning.
"Boiler 9 is on grate repairs. Boiler 10 was taken out of service on April 13, 2016 at 0720hrs for refractory repairs," said ZPC.
"Generator 3 exciter brush gear repairs have been completed, now awaiting test run. Generator 5 refurbishment works to be carried out during the repowering project."
In its daily generation update yesterday, ZPC indicated that power generation at the station was at 23MW against installed capacity of 90MW.
The country's largest coal fired power station in Hwange was down at 269MW against 920MW installed capacity.
Kariba Hydro-Power Station was the largest producer at 478MW compared to 750MW capacity while Munyati stood at 16MW with Harare at 30MW.
In total the country is producing an average 816MW compared to an average domestic demand of 2,200MW.
The gap is covered by imports from regional producers.
The Bulawayo Power Station is connected to the national grid through 11kV and 33kV systems. It was commissioned between 1947 and 1957 as an undertaking by the Municipality of Bulawayo. It joined the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority in 1987 after the amalgamation of all the Local Authority Electricity Undertakings, the Electricity Supply Commission power station at Munyati and Hwange, and the Central African Power Corporation station at Kariba.
Unbundling of business units has resulted in the plant joining Zimbabwe Power Company.
While Bulawayo Power Station initially had an installed capacity of 120MW, a refurbishment exercise in 1999 on the ageing plant gave it a new lease of life.
The station capacity is now 90MW. The main materials needed for the generation of electricity are coal, water, chemicals, oil, greases and spare parts for maintenance.
The station currently generates an average of 30MW.
Last year, Bulawayo Thermal Power Station received a loan of $87 million from the Export-Import Bank of India for retooling purposes.
The actual retooling is expected to commence during the first half of this year.
The loan facility came at a time when Zimbabwe and many southern African countries are facing serious electricity shortages because of a growing demand which is triggered by expanding industries in the region.
The upgrading of the power station is expected to be conducted over a three-year period and will breathe life into the facility that was built in 1947 with a 120 mega watt (MW) capacity but had reduced electricity generation to a maximum 30MW owing to obsolete equipment.
The station was shutdown last Wednesday following a suspected tube leak on boiler 8.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) had said most of the boilers were out of service and were taken for repair.
"Boiler 5 is on statutory inspection. Boiler 6 was taken out of service on April 12, 2016 at 1005hrs for grate repairs. Boiler 7 is on grate repairs and external cleaning.
"Boiler 9 is on grate repairs. Boiler 10 was taken out of service on April 13, 2016 at 0720hrs for refractory repairs," said ZPC.
"Generator 3 exciter brush gear repairs have been completed, now awaiting test run. Generator 5 refurbishment works to be carried out during the repowering project."
In its daily generation update yesterday, ZPC indicated that power generation at the station was at 23MW against installed capacity of 90MW.
The country's largest coal fired power station in Hwange was down at 269MW against 920MW installed capacity.
Kariba Hydro-Power Station was the largest producer at 478MW compared to 750MW capacity while Munyati stood at 16MW with Harare at 30MW.
In total the country is producing an average 816MW compared to an average domestic demand of 2,200MW.
The Bulawayo Power Station is connected to the national grid through 11kV and 33kV systems. It was commissioned between 1947 and 1957 as an undertaking by the Municipality of Bulawayo. It joined the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority in 1987 after the amalgamation of all the Local Authority Electricity Undertakings, the Electricity Supply Commission power station at Munyati and Hwange, and the Central African Power Corporation station at Kariba.
Unbundling of business units has resulted in the plant joining Zimbabwe Power Company.
While Bulawayo Power Station initially had an installed capacity of 120MW, a refurbishment exercise in 1999 on the ageing plant gave it a new lease of life.
The station capacity is now 90MW. The main materials needed for the generation of electricity are coal, water, chemicals, oil, greases and spare parts for maintenance.
The station currently generates an average of 30MW.
Last year, Bulawayo Thermal Power Station received a loan of $87 million from the Export-Import Bank of India for retooling purposes.
The actual retooling is expected to commence during the first half of this year.
The loan facility came at a time when Zimbabwe and many southern African countries are facing serious electricity shortages because of a growing demand which is triggered by expanding industries in the region.
The upgrading of the power station is expected to be conducted over a three-year period and will breathe life into the facility that was built in 1947 with a 120 mega watt (MW) capacity but had reduced electricity generation to a maximum 30MW owing to obsolete equipment.
Source - Chronicle
