13 October 2006 -- Zimbabwe has been hit by the shutdown of a major power station and the disruption of electricity supplies from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), news sources report.
The electricity failure plunged hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses into darkness. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) introduced load-shedding. Even so, daily power cuts in some areas are lasting for up to 10 hours.
On Saturday six generators at Hwange Thermal Power Station, in Matabeleland North Province, blew up, causing the plant to shut down completely and depriving the national grid of 400 MW. Two other generators at the power station have been idle because a shortage of foreign currency has made repairs unaffordable.
ZESA's corporate affairs general manager said that the electricity shortage apparently had been aggravated by vandals in the DRC, who had cut the transmission line of national power utility Societe Nationale d'Electric (SNEL), which carries electricity to Zimbabwe. This further curtailed another 100 MW.
In addition, thermal power stations in the capital, Harare, in the second city of Bulawayo in Munyati have been inoperable for some time due to coal shortages, causing the loss of a further 200 MW.
Zimbabwe used to be self-sufficient in producing fuel for power generation and curing tobacco, but the foreign currency shortages have made it almost impossible to maintain and replace mining equipment and railroad stock, leading to coal-supply problems for industry and forcing some tobacco farmers to import coal from neighboring Mozambique and Zambia.
Electricity is being sourced from the country's hydroelectric Kariba Power Station on the Zambezi River, with additional imports coming from Zambia and Mozambique.
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