Located in the second-largest city of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Power Station is connected to the national grid through 11kV and 33kV systems.
The plant was commissioned between 1947 and 1957 as an undertaking by the Municipality of Bulawayo. It joined the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority in 1987 after the amalgamation of all the Local Authority Electricity Undertakings, the Electricity Supply Commission power station at Munyati and Hwange, and the Central African Power Corporation station at Kariba. Unbundling of business units has resulted in the plant joining Zimbabwe Power Company.
While Bulawayo Power Station initially had an installed capacity of 120MW, a refurbishment exercise in 1999 on the ageing plant gave it a new lease of life. The station capacity is now 90MW. The main materials needed for the generation of electricity are coal, water, chemicals, oil, greases and spare parts for maintenance. The station currently generates an average of 30MW.
Bulawayo Power Station continually strives to uphold ZPC’s operational corporate objectives – to achieve operational excellence by improving plant availability, reliability and efficiency, to international standards.