The power crisis dogging Zim-babwe’s industrial and domestic consumers is set to worsen, following reports that Hwange Colliery Company (HCC) – in the north-west of the country – is still struggling to find the foreign currency required to import spares that are needed to fix the main dragline that broke down early this month and triggered the latest power rationing.
HCC MD Fred Moyo says coal supplies to consumers, including the Zimbabwe Elecused grinding equipments in pakistantricity Supply Authority’s (Zesa’s) main thermal power station, have been severely curtailed by the breakdown of the dragline.
He says HCC has been forced to concentrate on mining operations that do not require the use of the drag- line.
“Production remains heavily curtailed without the use of the drag- line, so our consumers, including Zhighway construction process in malaysiaesa&rsqcopper wire grinding milluo;s power generation stations, are heavily affected.
“The company we have contracted to fix the problem locally may finish the job [quickly] but we will still have to find the foreign currency to buy the crucial component from South Africa.”
The Chinese-made dragline has been breaking down constantly since it was brought into the country earlier this year. The high maintenance costs required to keep it running have proved to be a major challenge for HCC, which is currently operating at less than 50% of normal capacity owing to several problems, chief among them foreign currency shortages and persistent power cuts.
Following the breakdown of the dragline, Zesa has tightened power rationing. Stakeholders in the mining and agricultural sectors have been hardest hit by extended power cuts, which have seen some industries going for a whole day without electricity.