Hwange Power Station Outage Due To Acidic Water Contamination – ZETDC

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has said the recent technical fault at Hwange Power Station was caused by a tube leak, which affected all generating units.

On Sunday, ZESA Holdings, the parent company of ZETDC, announced that the power station had suffered a technical fault, resulting in the need for increased load-shedding.

In a statement, ZETDC explained that acidic water had caused fractures in the boiler tubes, leading to significant damage across five units. The statement reads:

Around the same time, abnormal water chemistry was detected, with the water exhibiting elevated conductivity and significantly low PH levels, indicating possible contamination by acidic material. This led to all units at the station being affected, causing an emergency outage at the plant.

Subsequent investigations have identified the water treatment plant as the source of the contamination. Immediate corrective actions were taken, including isolation of the treatment plant and flushing out of all affected systems. The water supply has since been stabilized and is now adequate for plant operations.

However, the acidic water has caused fractures to boiler tubes on the units. Significant tube leaks were identified on Units 1 and 2, while Units 3, 4 and 6, which were also online on the day, are being assessed.

ZETDC added that the affected 5 units are expected to be fully operational by Friday. The power utility said:

Repairs are now in progress on units 1 and 2. The first unit is expected to return to service at midnight Tuesday into morning of Wednesday, 7 May 2025.

Pressure testing and repairs on Units 3, 4 and 6 are ongoing. This will be followed by requisite repairs.

All five affected units are projected to be fully operational by the end of day on Friday, 9 May 2025.

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