Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority
Encyclopedia
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, (ZESA) officially called ZESA Holdings (Pvt) LTD., is a state-owned company whose task is to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in Zimbabwe
. It has organized this task by delegation to its subsidiaries, the energy generating company Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC). Other subsidiaries are investment branch ZESA Enterprises (ZENT) and internet provider PowerTel Communications (Pvt) ltd. ZESA is the only electricity generator and supplier for the public grid. In many years the company has failed to produce enough energy to meet demands. ZESA produced an estimated 8.89 bill kWh in 2007, while demand was estimated to 10.89 kWh. ZESA represents Zimbabwe in the Southern African Power Pool
.
is used on a routine basis and some rural areas do not have electricity over long periods. Zimbabwe’s difficult economic situation causes part of the problems, as coal for power stations may at times not be produced in sufficient amounts. On the other hand, the economy is hampered by the unforeseeable energy situation. Recently the revival of the economy has increase demand.
together with its Zambian counterpart, ZESCO. The station is part of the Kariba Dam
project, damming the Zambezi
river. The Zimbawean-owned capacity is said to be around 750 MW. ZESA also owns four thermal power stations, of which Hwange Thermal Power Station
in the extreme west of the country is by far the largest with a theoretical capacity of about 920 MW. The other three at Harare
, Bulawayo
and Munyati
have a nominal capacity of 270 MW together. In the last years the thermal power stations have only been producing part or no electricity due to coal shortages and maintenance neglect. Botswana Power Corporation
(BPC) and Namibia
s NamPower
have in 2009 made agreements to help ZESA to revive the capacity in exchange for power deliveries. Work on Hwange has led to a better situation and the three minor stations are scheduled to be revived in the first quarter of 2011.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. It has organized this task by delegation to its subsidiaries, the energy generating company Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC). Other subsidiaries are investment branch ZESA Enterprises (ZENT) and internet provider PowerTel Communications (Pvt) ltd. ZESA is the only electricity generator and supplier for the public grid. In many years the company has failed to produce enough energy to meet demands. ZESA produced an estimated 8.89 bill kWh in 2007, while demand was estimated to 10.89 kWh. ZESA represents Zimbabwe in the Southern African Power Pool
Southern African Power Pool
The Southern African Power Pool is a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Southern Africa under the auspecies of the Southern African Development Community . The members of SAPP have created common power grid between their countries and a common market for electricity in the SADC...
.
Current situation
In general the power generation capacity in Zimbabwe is too small to meet demand from the industry and private householdings. Import of electricity from surrounding countries has eased the situation somewhat, but load sheddingRolling blackout
A rolling blackout, also referred to as load shedding, is an intentionally-engineered electrical power outage where electricity delivery is stopped for non-overlapping periods of time over geographical regions. Rolling blackouts are a last-resort measure used by an electric utility company in order...
is used on a routine basis and some rural areas do not have electricity over long periods. Zimbabwe’s difficult economic situation causes part of the problems, as coal for power stations may at times not be produced in sufficient amounts. On the other hand, the economy is hampered by the unforeseeable energy situation. Recently the revival of the economy has increase demand.
Situation for the power stations
ZESA owns Kariba hydropower stationHydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
together with its Zambian counterpart, ZESCO. The station is part of the Kariba Dam
Kariba Dam
The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is one of the largest dams in the world, standing tall and long.- Construction :...
project, damming the Zambezi
Zambezi
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
river. The Zimbawean-owned capacity is said to be around 750 MW. ZESA also owns four thermal power stations, of which Hwange Thermal Power Station
Hwange Thermal Power Station
The Hwange Thermal Power Station is the biggest power plant in Zimbabwe with an installed capacity of 920 MW. The plant was built during the 1980s, its location was chosen because of its proximity to coal fields...
in the extreme west of the country is by far the largest with a theoretical capacity of about 920 MW. The other three at Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
and Munyati
Munyati
Munyati is a small town in Midlands province in Zimbabwe. It is located about 29km north of Kwekwe on the main Harare-Bulawayo road which was about 5km away from the village center. In 1938 a coal-fired power station was built in the area and the village was established to house the personnel...
have a nominal capacity of 270 MW together. In the last years the thermal power stations have only been producing part or no electricity due to coal shortages and maintenance neglect. Botswana Power Corporation
Botswana Power Corporation
Botswana Power Corporation is a state owned company for electrical power generation, transmission and distribution in Botswana. It was established in 1970 and is currently the only electricity supplier in the country. BPC produced an estimated 1,052 GWh in 2007, while demand was estimated to...
(BPC) and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
s NamPower
NamPower
NamPower is the national power utility company of Namibia. NamPower was founded in 1964 as the "South West Africa Water and Electricity Corporation" by the government of South Africa. Its offices are located in Windhoek...
have in 2009 made agreements to help ZESA to revive the capacity in exchange for power deliveries. Work on Hwange has led to a better situation and the three minor stations are scheduled to be revived in the first quarter of 2011.
ZESA power stations
- Kariba hydropower station
- Hwange Thermal Power StationHwange Thermal Power StationThe Hwange Thermal Power Station is the biggest power plant in Zimbabwe with an installed capacity of 920 MW. The plant was built during the 1980s, its location was chosen because of its proximity to coal fields...
(coal fired, 18°23′0.155"S 26°28′12.03"E) - Harare Thermal Power Station (coal fired, 17°50′44.5"S 31°1′55.5"E)
- Bulawayo Thermal Power Station (coal fired, 20°9′31"S 28°34′32"E)
- Munyati Thermal Power Station (coal fired, established 1938, 18°39′20"S 29°46′55"E)
Projected stations
Besides plans to upgrade both the Hwange plant and the Kariba dam facility, two new plants are projected, however funding is not secured.- Gokwe NorthGokwe North DistrictGokwe North District is the northern of two administrative districts in the Gokwe region of the Midlands province of Zimbabwe. Its administrative seat is Nembudziya.-References:...
power plant, near the Sengwa coal fields - Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Power Project situated between Victoria FallsVictoria FallsThe Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
and Lake KaribaLake KaribaLake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir. It lies 1300 kilometers upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe...
, a joint venture with Zambia.
External links
- Zimbabwe Power Company - energy generating subsidiary of ZESA
- Zesa Enterprises - investment company for electrical logistics
- PowerTel Communications (Pvt) ltd - internet provider