Story by Josephine Mugiyo, Diplomatic Correspondent
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa says the Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 and 8 Expansion Project is a major milestone which has positioned the country on the path to economic growth through increased power generation.
Hwange thermal power station is among the flagship projects that have been implemented by the Second Republic and the official groundbreaking ceremony to pave the way for work was done in 2018 by the President.
In a region where power supply has affected most countries, the commissioning of the Hwange Thermal Power Station Expansion project is a breakthrough for Zimbabwe.
In its quest to bring development and grow the country’s economy, the Second Republic has put all hands on deck to ensure it delivers on its promises.
Soon after commissioning the expansion project, President Mnangagwa toured the facility as he viewed the work carried out by the contractor Sino Hydro, working with a crop of young engineers from around the country.
“Today we are witnessing the commissioning of units 7 and 8 at Hwange, the journey began in April 2018 when I visited the People’s Republic of China. That discussion with the Chinese President led us here. I had ten projects and he chose four and one of the four was this one where I was awarded a US$1.3 billion loan to do this. I came here in 2018 to officially do the groundbreaking,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President spoke on how the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe have not stopped the country from forging ahead with development as the country leans on friendly nations for assistance and harnessing of local resources.
“First and foremost we as the Second Republic cannot put our heads in the sand and say because we have sanctions, we looked inside and looked at our traditional friends for support.”
As the country celebrates this milestone, the head of state said there’s still a need to ensure additional power is generated across the country.
“ I am told we now have adequate power supply but we still have other power projects which we are designing to increase power generation.”
The power outages which were being experienced in the country are set to be a thing of the past as the additional 600 megawatts will certainly boost the capacity of the local industries.
