HWANGE Power Station’s Unit 7, which was synchronised with the national grid on Monday, has not developed any problems and engineers were planning to increase generation capacity to 150MW from last night.
Once they raise output to 150MW, they will then conduct
further tests today, and if the results are satisfactory, generation capacity
will then be increased further to 300MW.
Such a development will considerably reduce the levels of
load shedding across the country.
In an interview last night, Hwange Power Station expansion
project manager, Engineer Forbes Chanakira, confirmed the developments.
“We didn’t have any problems with Unit 7 after the
synchronisation. We are actually going up; we are ramping up to 150MW tonight
(last night) and we will then carry out some tests which we call automatic voltage
regulator test tomorrow morning (today).
“If the tests are successful, we will start ramping up to
300MW.”
The success of the synchronisation of Unit 7, is largely
credited to the amount of time that was spent by engineers as they conducted
rigorous checks.
Businesspeople and other experts, yesterday commended the
coming on stream of Unit 7, saying it will improve the electricity situation in
the country.
In an interview, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce
immediate past president Dr Tinashe Manzungu said: “The coming of Unit 7
definitely means more power to the citizenry.
“Again, it means
that the National Development Strategy 1 has been fully supported and
industries can now run with less interruption from loadshedding.
“If more electricity is available, winter wheat for this
year shall be excellently supported, while the economy will start to tick at a
better level.”
Dr Manzungu added that ordinary citizens will have improved
living standards with less hours of load shedding, while water and sanitation
will also improve due to increased water pumping.
Hwange businessman and politician, Cde Reeds Dube, also
said the coming in of Unit 7 will improve the availability of electricity in
the country, but more importantly, demonstrates that President Mnangagwa
focuses on delivering every promise he made during the 2018 election campaign
period.
“It is not just Hwange that will benefit from the improve
electricity generation, but the whole country,” said Cde Dube.
“President Mnangagwa is clearly hard working and what more
can people want from him?
“He is transforming the country; everywhere you go, be it
Lake Gwayi-Shangani, Beitbridge Border Post upgrade, the Harare-Beitbridge road
upgrade and dam construction, he has done we and is not the kind of President
one can just wake up and say ‘we are replacing him with this or that person’.”
Cde Dube said he was privileged to have know President
Mnangagwa from the time he held various posts in the ruling Zanu PF, knows him
as a hard worker.
He said each time he tried to be the first to arrive in
office, he would always find President Mnangagwa in.
“So to me, development wise, he is the best for the
country,” said Cde Dube.
Hwange Local Board Town Secretary Mr Ndumiso Mdlalose: “As
a local authority, we are very much excited, together with the rest of the
country, that additional power has been connected to the national grid.
“There is no doubt that additional power from the recently
completed Unit 7 will improve productivity in various sectors of the economy in
the country, thus enhancing our Gross Domestic Product.” Herald
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