Zesa expects normal service at Hwange on Friday

ZESA Holdings has announced that normal electricity supplies from Hwange Power Station are expected to resume by Friday, May 9, following an emergency outage caused by tube leaks that crippled all units at the country's largest coal-fired plant.

In a statement issued yesterday, the power utility said immediate corrective measures had been undertaken to address the malfunction, including isolating the treatment plant and flushing out affected systems. Water supply to the station has since been stabilised, enabling repair work to proceed.

"Significant tube leaks were identified on Units 1 and 2 while Units 3, 4 and 6, which were also online at the time of the outage, are currently undergoing assessment. Repairs are now in progress on Units 1 and 2," ZESA said.

The company added that the first unit was expected to return to service last night, with pressure testing and necessary repairs on the remaining three units ongoing. All five affected units are projected to be fully operational by end of day on Friday.

Meanwhile, ZESA also provided an update on the recent fire at the Highfield substation in Harare, which caused major damage to key infrastructure and resulted in widespread outages across several suburbs and industrial zones.

The blaze, which destroyed a 20MVA 33/11kV transformer, circuit breakers, current transformers, low-voltage cables and control cables, left parts of Southerton, Workington, Ardbennie, Willowvale, Rugare, Westwood, Lochnivar, Highfield, Waterfalls and Mbare without power.

"In response to the incident, load reconfiguration has been implemented to restore supply. Workington is now being backfed from Kambuzuma, while Willowvale is being powered via Parkridge through Glen View," ZESA said.

Efforts are underway to replace the damaged control cables and restore the 132/33kV transformers and associated switchgear. A transformer from Hatgates is also being relocated to Highfield to aid in the restoration.

ZESA confirmed that Beatrice substation has since been successfully restored, bringing power back to Old Ardbennie, Waterfalls, Mbare, and parts of Southerton. However, some areas, including Varun Beverages, New Ardbennie, parts of Willowvale industrial, Highfield residential and Glen Norah, remain without electricity as restoration efforts continue.

The utility company assured the public that teams were working around the clock to restore full service and minimise disruptions to domestic and industrial consumers.