News / National
Zimbabwe hit by nationwide power outage
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Zimbabwe experienced a nationwide power outage on Thursday afternoon after a major system disturbance knocked out power generation at Kariba and Hwange power stations, the country's main electricity sources.
In a public notice issued by ZESA Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, the state-owned power utility said the blackout, which occurred at exactly 14:11 hours on Thursday, 3 July, also disrupted interconnections with regional power suppliers in South Africa (Eskom), Zambia (Zesco), and Mozambique (HCB).
"This has resulted in the loss of generation from Kariba and Hwange Power Stations. Additionally, the interconnections with National Transmission (South Africa) and Zesco (Zambia), as well as supplies from HCB (Mozambique), were simultaneously lost," ZESA said in the statement.
While the cause of the system disturbance was not immediately disclosed, ZESA confirmed that a nationwide blackout ensued, plunging homes, businesses, and key infrastructure into darkness across the country.
Restoration efforts have begun, with ZESA reporting that electricity has already been restored in some areas.
"Our teams are working tirelessly to bring the remaining affected areas back in the shortest possible time. Further updates will be given as the system restoration progresses," the power company said.
ZESA apologised to its customers for the inconvenience caused by the outage and assured stakeholders that every effort was being made to stabilise the grid.
Zimbabwe's power grid has faced increasing pressure in recent years due to ageing infrastructure, recurrent breakdowns at thermal plants, and declining water levels at Kariba Dam, which powers the country's largest hydroelectric station.
Thursday's incident highlights the country's continued vulnerability to sudden, large-scale power disruptions and underscores the importance of ongoing efforts to strengthen regional power cooperation and invest in energy resilience.
More updates are expected as system recovery continues.
In a public notice issued by ZESA Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, the state-owned power utility said the blackout, which occurred at exactly 14:11 hours on Thursday, 3 July, also disrupted interconnections with regional power suppliers in South Africa (Eskom), Zambia (Zesco), and Mozambique (HCB).
"This has resulted in the loss of generation from Kariba and Hwange Power Stations. Additionally, the interconnections with National Transmission (South Africa) and Zesco (Zambia), as well as supplies from HCB (Mozambique), were simultaneously lost," ZESA said in the statement.
While the cause of the system disturbance was not immediately disclosed, ZESA confirmed that a nationwide blackout ensued, plunging homes, businesses, and key infrastructure into darkness across the country.
Restoration efforts have begun, with ZESA reporting that electricity has already been restored in some areas.
"Our teams are working tirelessly to bring the remaining affected areas back in the shortest possible time. Further updates will be given as the system restoration progresses," the power company said.
ZESA apologised to its customers for the inconvenience caused by the outage and assured stakeholders that every effort was being made to stabilise the grid.
Zimbabwe's power grid has faced increasing pressure in recent years due to ageing infrastructure, recurrent breakdowns at thermal plants, and declining water levels at Kariba Dam, which powers the country's largest hydroelectric station.
Thursday's incident highlights the country's continued vulnerability to sudden, large-scale power disruptions and underscores the importance of ongoing efforts to strengthen regional power cooperation and invest in energy resilience.
More updates are expected as system recovery continues.
Source - businessdaily.co.zw
