Zimbabweans to face increased load shedding as Hwange Unit 3 shuts down for 44 days

By Thandiwe Garusa

ZIMBABWEANS will have to brace for longer power outages after ZESA Holdings announced that Hwange Power Station’s Unit 3 will be offline for statutory maintenance for at least one and a half months.

This comes at a time when most areas in the country are already experiencing up to 20 hours of power cuts daily.

The Zimbabwe Power Company is currently generating 1,427MW, which falls short of the approximately 2,000MW the country requires at peak demand.

In a statement, ZESA Holdings said the maintenance, which began Wednesday will end on October 24 leaving only four units in operation and further straining the country’s already struggling electricity supply.

“ZESA Holdings wishes to inform its valued stakeholders that Hwange Unit 3 will undergo statutory maintenance from 10 September to 24 October 2025, a planned outage of 44 days.

“This exercise is essential to enhance the unit’s availability and reliability.

“During this period, Hwange Power Station will maintain four units in operation to support generation.

The power utility emphasised its commitment to delivering a reliable and efficient power supply, underscoring the importance of these maintenance activities in safeguarding the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Zimbabwe has been facing electricity generation challenges for decades owing to obsolete infrastructure at its hydroelectricity and thermal power plants.