Kariba power plant expansion to start in January

via Kariba power plant expansion to start in January – ZESA | The Source December 30, 2013

Work to expand Zimbabwe’s Kariba South power plant and boost output to 1050 megawatts from the current 750 megawatts is set to start in January 2014, a spokesman for state power utility ZESA has said.

China’s Sino Hydro won the tender for the $355 million project, the bulk of which will be funded by the Export Import Bank of China under a deal signed with the Zimbabwe government earlier this year.

“Shovels should start hitting ground in January. We have already　secured the funding and Sino-Hydro has been awarded the tender to undertake the project which should take about three years to complete. If everything goes according to schedule the first unit should be commissioned in 2017,” ZESA spokesman Fullard Gwasira told The Source.

Government secured funding for the project, after signing a US $319 million deal with China Export and Import Bank two months ago with Zimbabwe expected to contribute 10 percent of the total cost of the expansion exercise.

At present, ZESA is generating between 1300 and 1400 megawatts against a daily national demand of 2200 megawatts.