ZESA Schedules Maintenance at Hwange Units 7 and 8

By SBT Reporter, Harare

ZESA Private Limited will temporarily take Hwange Power Station’s Units 7 and 8 offline for planned maintenance from November 15, 2026, in a programme expected to reduce domestic electricity generation until late January.

In a notice issued on November 12, the power utility said Unit 7 was scheduled to return to service on January 4, 2027, while Unit 8 was expected back on January 26. ZESA said the preventive maintenance was necessary to improve generating reliability, sustain plant performance and reduce the risk of unexpected breakdowns. “The maintenance programme forms part of the utility’s routine asset management strategy aimed at sustaining plant performance, improving operational reliability and ensuring the continued availability of generating units for the national grid,” the utility said.

The shutdown means both units, among Zimbabwe’s newest coal-fired generating facilities, will be unavailable during different periods of the maintenance programme. However, ZESA said it had put measures in place to limit the impact on electricity supplies and maintain stability across the national grid.

The utility plans to increase generation at Kariba Power Station during peak demand periods and supplement domestic production with electricity imports through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). It also said additional electricity had been secured from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) through power-purchase agreements.

Solar energy projects coming on stream are expected to provide further support to national generation. “To ensure stable power supplies during the period, ZESA Private Limited has put in place several measures to mitigate the temporary reduction in generation capacity,” the notice said.

ZESA added that the maintenance programme coincided with a period when electricity demand was typically lower, which it expects to ease pressure on the power system. The utility did not specify the amount of generating capacity that would be unavailable during the shutdown or provide details of the expected contribution from imports, Kariba and IPPs.

The maintenance programme comes as Zimbabwe continues to balance domestic electricity generation with imports and investment in alternative energy sources. Consumers will be watching whether the planned interventions are sufficient to maintain reliable supplies while the two Hwange units undergo maintenance.

Hwange Power Station maintenance