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ZESA Holdings announced a scheduled 44-day maintenance shutdown for Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Unit 3, beginning 10 September 2025. The outage, which will extend until 24 October, is part of the power utility’s ongoing efforts to improve the reliability and performance of the national grid. This coupled coinciding with the declining water levels at Kariba dam, will prove detrimental for Zimbabwe.
In a public notice issued on Wednesday, the state-owned energy company reassured consumers that the station will continue to operate four other units throughout the maintenance period to minimize disruption to power supply. The move is described as a proactive measure to ensure long-term energy availability and reduce unplanned breakdowns.
By Gamuchirai Mapako
“This exercise is essential to enhance the unit’s availability and reliability,” read part of the statement. “ZESA Holdings remains committed to improving supply reliability and ensuring a sustainable energy future for all our customers.”
The maintenance of Unit 3 is a statutory requirement, meaning it is a mandatory procedure conducted at regular intervals to ensure operational safety and efficiency. Aging infrastructure and frequent breakdowns have historically contributed to load-shedding across the country, making such planned outages critical to preventing longer-term failures.
The company has stated t has been working in recent years to rehabilitate and upgrade its generation and distribution infrastructure, including seeking partnerships for solar and hydro projects to diversify the energy mix.
ZESA encouraged customers to use electricity sparingly during the period and to keep updated through its official social media channels and website.
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