Blackout fears as Hwange Power Station collapse

Zimbabwe is facing moments of crippling power outages after the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) announced that Hwange Power Station’s Unit 6 has gone offline following a system failure — a situation that risk plunging large parts of the country into darkness.

The unit, one of the original thermal generating units commissioned at Hwange in the 1980s, has an installed capacity of 220 megawatts (MW).

Its sudden shutdown compounds Zimbabwe’s already unstable electricity situation, as the country battles persistent load-shedding and ageing power infrastructure.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, ZPC said the affected unit will be out of service for at least three days, with restoration expected on October 10, 2025.

“ZESA Holdings wishes to inform its valued stakeholders that Hwange Unit 6 has been taken off the grid due to a system failure,” the company said.

“The unit will be out of operation for a period of three days and is expected to return to service on 10 October 2025.

“During this period, Hwange Power Station will continue operating with three units in service.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this outage may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to restore full generation capacity.”