WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2010-09-09 Time: 18:00:03 Posted By: News Poster
Harare – The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority has resuscitated the Kwekwe coal-fired Munyati Power Station that had been mothballed for the past decade because of a cocktail of operational challenges.
It is understood that the small thermal power station, with an installed capacity of 100 megawatts, was brought on line more than two weeks ago, easing the frequency of power rationing by the parastatal.
Currently, the power station is sitting on a coal stash of more than 10 000 tonnes of coal Hwange Colliery Company. Zesa group chief executive Engineer Ben Rafemeyo confirmed yesterday that the power station was now operational, but indicated that it was simply a short-term measure.
“I can confirm that Munyati Power Station is currently operating because of late we have been accumulating some coal.”We thought that it would be prudent to use the coal that we have in the meantime rather than leave it idle. “But , it is just for the coming two weeks as we expect to have exhausted the coal that we have at the moment.
“It must be noted that we have since flighted adverts with a view of opening discussions with interested partners that might help in the resuscitation of the power station in the long-term,” said Engineer Rafemoyo.
However, investigations showed that the power utility, through its subsidiary Zimbabwe Power Company, has been getting some consistent coal deliveries since June.
Engineer Rafemoyo said coal was one of the critical components that has in the past years hampered the smooth operation of the thermal power plant.
The development will significantly augment power supplies on the national grid, which is presently stressed because of the huge demand from both industry and residential demand as the economy gathers growth momentum. Zimbabwe has been resorting to power imports from Mozambique and Zambia to cover for the mismatch between insufficient domestic power production and growing local demand.
Kariba Power Station is the country’s workhorse and has a capacity to produce 750MW of power. Intermittent power supplies have paralysed industry and mining houses. This development has seen mining houses import their own power directly from regional suppliers.
The gold mining sector in particular has been the hardest hit by the power cuts. The Chamber of Mines, in August forecast that the mining sector has the potential to produce 8 tonnes of gold this year but noted that the figure was largely dependant on the availability and consistency of power from Zesa.
Similarly, capacity utilisation in the manufacturing industry has averaged between 35 percent and 45 percent because of biting power cuts. Zesa is currently working on efforts to re-open its small thermal power plants in Harare and Bulawayo.
The parastatal is finalising an agreement with the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) to breathe life into the thermal power plant in Bulawayo in a deal that was estimated to be worth US$7 million. Government however, opted to give preference to local companies so that the country could get maximum benefit.
Under the Botswana deal, which was structured along the lines of the one that was sealed with Namibia’s Nampower, BPC was supposed to inject the financial component in return for power exports. Munyati, Bulawayo and Harare thermal power plants have the potential of producing about 300 MW if they become fully operational.
Long-term projects that are in the pipeline include the US$3 billion Batoka Gorge project that has been shelved because of financial constraints. Zimbabwe has a suppressed power demand of 2 200 MW, which Zesa is struggling to meet. This has resulted in load shedding for both industries and residential purposes nationawide.
Original Source: 
Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Original date published: 9 September 2010
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201009090451.html?viewall=1