Bulawayo Thermal Power Station
Location of Bulawayo Thermal Power Station in Zimbabwe
CountryZimbabwe
LocationBulawayo
Coordinates20°09′33″S 28°34′33″E / 20.15917°S 28.57583°E / -20.15917; 28.57583
StatusOperational
Commission date1957
Owner(s)Zimbabwe Power Company
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Power generation
Nameplate capacity90 MW (120,000 hp)

Bulawayo Thermal Power Station is a 90 MW (120,000 hp) coal-fired thermal power plant located in the city of Bulawayo in Bulawayo District in the Matabeleland Province of Zimbabwe.[1]

Location

The power station is located in the central business district of Bulawayo, approximately 442 kilometres (275 mi), by road, southwest of Harare the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe.[2] The coordinates of the power station are:20°09'33.0"S, 28°34'33.0"E (Latitude:-20.159167; Longitude:28.575833).[3]

Overview

The power station is owned and operated by Zimbabwe Power Company, (ZPC), a parastatal of the Government of Zimbabwe. ZPC is a 100 percent subsidiary of Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority. The station was constructed between 1947 and 1957 by Bulawayo Municipal Council. At that time, generation capacity was 120 megawatts.[1]

The plant uses coal, primarily from Hwange Colliery, which is brought in by rail and road. In 1999, the power station underwent a major overhaul and modernization repairs, which reduced generation capacity to 90 megawatts. As of 2019, the generation capacity had deteriorated to about 30 megawatts, due to antiquated equipment and lack of maintenance for many years.[1]

Upgrade

In 2019, the Zimbabwean government publicly announced its intentions to overhaul, refurbish and modernize the power station, so that it would generate 90 megawatts again. Two of the six cooling towers will be demolished in the process. The remaining four cooling towers will be refurbished to prolong their life span by another 15 to 20 years.[4][5]

In November 2018, the Government of India extended a line of credit worth US$333 million to the government of Zimbabwe, of which US$23 million was to fund the upgrade to Bulawayo Thermal Power Station.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zimbabwe Power Company (6 July 2020). "Profile of Bulawayo Thermal Power Station". Harare: Zimbabwe Power Company. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  2. ↑ Google (6 July 2020). "Road Distance From Harare to Bulawayo" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Google (6 July 2020). "Location of Bulawayo Thermal Power Station" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Africa Energy Portal (5 July 2019). "Zimbabwe to re-power Bulawayo thermal power station". Africa Energy Portal. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. ↑ The Zimbabwe Herald (27 June 2019). ""Bulawayo power station to deliver 90MW after refurbishment"". The Zimbabwe Herald. Harare. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Laurence M. Stevens (5 November 2018). "US$300 Million Shot In Arm For Power Plants". Johannesburg: African Mining Market.
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