Emergency response underway: ZPC works to stabilise national power supply 

Source: Emergency response underway: ZPC works to stabilise national power supply – herald

Welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing efforts by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) to restore electricity supply following significant disruptions caused by incidents at Hwange Power Station and Highfield Substation.

As teams work around the clock to stabilise the grid, we will provide real-time updates on the situation, including repair progress, affected areas, and ZPC’s commitment to ensuring reliable power for all Zimbabweans.

Stay tuned for the latest developments

UPDATE :

 

Nation’s power supply hit hard by two incidents

The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) is working tirelessly to restore electricity supply following two major incidents that struck the nation’s power infrastructure on Sunday, 4 May 2025.

Engineers and technicians have since been deployed nationwide in a coordinated effort to stabilise the grid and bring relief to affected communities.

The first incident occurred at Hwange Power Station, the country’s largest thermal power plant, which lost Unit 2 due to a boiler tube leak.

At the same time, abnormal water chemistry was detected, pointing to acidic contamination within the system.

“The water treatment plant was immediately identified as the source,” ZPC said in a statement.

“Our teams acted swiftly to isolate the affected systems and flush out the contaminants. Water supply has since been stabilised to support plant operations.”

Despite the setback, ZPC engineers wasted no time initiating repairs.

Units 1 and 2, which sustained significant tube damage, are currently undergoing restoration, while pressure testing continues on Units 3, 4 and 6.

According to ZPC, Unit 1 is expected to be back online by the early hours of Wednesday, 7 May, with the remaining affected units targeted for full recovery by Friday, 9 May.

“Hwange is a key part of the national grid, and our personnel have been working tirelessly, day and night, to get it back to full capacity,” the company said.

UPDATE :

 

Highfield Substation destroyed by power

As restoration work intensified in Hwange, there was another development.

A fire engulfed Highfield Substation in Harare on Sunday around 8 pm, damaging a 20MVA transformer, key circuit breakers, current transformers and essential control cables.

The incident disrupted power to several areas, including Southerton, Workington, Willowvale, Highfield, Glen Norah and parts of Mbare.

Undeterred, ZPC and ZETDC teams immediately launched emergency response operations.

UPDATE :

 

Engineers get down to business

Power rerouting and load reconfiguration were swiftly implemented.

Workington is now being temporarily back fed from Kambuzuma, while Willowvale is receiving power through Parkridge via Glen View.

A transformer is being relocated from Hatgates to replace the one lost in the fire.

By Monday evening, Beatrice Substation had been successfully restored, bringing electricity back to Old Ardbennie, Waterfalls, Mbare and parts of Southerton.

Field crews continue to work in affected zones, with repairs to control cables and other infrastructure underway.

UPDATE :

 

Government assures nation of power restoration

The ZETDC has advised its customers of a power supply interruption affecting southern parts of Harare due to the fire incident at the Highfield Substation.

Temporary measures have been implemented to minimize the impact, with the Workington area being supplied with power from the Kambuzuma Substation, while Willowvale is getting power from the Parkridge Substation.

Government has said technical faults at Hwange Power Station and a substation in Harare will be rectified this week as teams are on the ground.

Energy and Power Development Minister July Moyo and his Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services counterpart, Dr Jenfan Muswere, toured the Highfield Substation site on Monday to assess restoration progress following the fire incident.

“There is an incident affecting people in Harare, and I would like to thank Zesa for continuously updating residents. The units here were damaged by a fire, cutting off supply to some areas. Zesa is working hard to restore supply to all affected places,” said Minister Moyo.

He said normalcy will be restored soon.

“This incident highlights the need for investment in power stations, supply chains, transmission lines, and distribution lines, which have become old. We want to assure people that Zesa’s leadership is supervising the situation on the ground to restore normalcy.”