Zimbabweans are enduring power cuts lasting up to 20 hours a day after technical problems hit the country’s main power station, with some areas in the capital going without electricity for more than three days.
The state power utility, ZESA, says a fault at Hwange Thermal Power Station – the country’s largest electricity plant – has severely reduced generating capacity.
The 920-megawatt facility frequently breaks down because of aging equipment, with the latest failure coming less than three months after another major fault at its Unit 8.
“The national power grid is currently experiencing reduced electricity generation capacity due to a technical fault at Hwange Power Station,” ZESA said in a statement on Wednesday.
The problem has been made worse by low water levels at Kariba Power Station, which has also cut its output, the utility added.
Technical teams are working to fix the fault at Hwange, but ZESA has not said when normal supply might resume.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused,” the statement said.
The power cuts have brought misery to residents of Harare, where some suburbs have had no electricity since Sunday.
Zimbabwe has struggled with electricity supply for years, but the latest crisis marks a significant deterioration that threatens to further impact the country’s fragile economy.
The Hwange plant’s repeated breakdowns highlight the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades in Zimbabwe’s power sector, which has suffered from decades of underinvestment.