Zimbabwean President attends ceremony for power plant expansion

Emmerson Mnangagwa, president of Zimbabwe, attended the completion ceremony for Kariba South hydro power station on March 28.

The expansion project is by far the largest hydro power facility since the independence of the country in 1980 and increases its power supply by 20 to 30 percent, greatly easing the power shortage in Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa said he is quite pleased and surprised to witness how a decision on the project made in a small room turned into a magnificent facility thanks to the joint efforts of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority and POWERCHINA.

He expressed his sincere gratitude to China for the project, which is critical for the Zimbabwean economy.

The timely delivery of the project can reduce the expenditures on power importation, a savings that can be used to develop economic and infrastructure facilities, he said, adding that the project will benefit the people of Zimbabwe for a long time.

Located in Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River, on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, the Kariba hydro power station is 375 km away from the capital city Harare.

Developed by POWERCHINA under the F+ EPC mode, the project was launched on Sept 4, 2014. It was designed by Northwest Engineering Co and constructed by Sinohydro Bureau 11 Co and Bureau 16 Co.

The project, which entailed the addition of 2 x 150 MW units, has lifted the power plant's installed capacity from 750 MW to 1,050 MW. The units were completed and started feeding into the national grid in December 2017 and February 2018.

With a contract value of $355 million, the project was funded by the Zimbabwean government and a $319-million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.

POWERCHINA exported its equipment, technology and professionals to Zimbabwe, improving the local environment and creating employment.

If offers training programs for its employees in the country and has hired more than 3,000 people.

The Kariba South hydro power station was developed by POWERCHINA following the expansion of the Kariba North hydro power station, also in the Zambezi Basin.

The success of these two expansion projects will help POWERCHINA to gain a strong foothold in southern African countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Emmerson Mnangagwa, president of Zimbabwe, addresses the completion ceremony for Kariba South hydro power station on March 28.[Photo/powerchina]

Huang Ping, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe makes a speech at the event.[Photo/powerchina]

Li Yueping (3rd, L), vice general manager of POWERCHINA and Huang Ping (1st, R) at the ceremony [Photo/powerchina]

Li (L) communicates with Mnangagwa (R).[Photo/powerchina]

Mnangagwa (C) visits the station.[Photo/powerchina]

The president visits the control room of the station.[Photo/powerchina]

The interior of the power plant[Photo/powerchina]