Hwange Power Station now working at full throttle

Ndabezinhle Mphoko confirmed that Hwange Power Station (HPS) is now operating at full capacity, for the first time in 10 years. All six generators at the plant are said to be working at 'full throttle'.

A report in the NewsDay newspaper quotes HPS General Manager Ndabezinhle Mphoko saying, "our highest peak was attained in June this year when we produced 727 megawatts."

Despite the dramatic improvement electricity load shedding will continue, with officials saying demand is still outstripping supply. The country is now able to produce 1400 megawatts but the national demand stands at 1800 megawatts and is expected to rise to 2000 megawatts as winter temperatures continue to plunge.

This year in February the country experienced extended power cuts following the complete shutdown of the Hwange thermal plant. ZESA blamed a series of faults on the regional power grid and said the plant had experienced 25 'instant shut downs' which caused damage to equipment.