The delivery of a 175-MVA transformer to the Sherwood substation in Kwekwe Midlands province in Zimbabwe earlier this month signalled relief from constant power outages for thousands of Zimbabweans.The transformer, part of the ZimFund Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (EPIRP II), reached its destination some 200 kilometres to the west of Harare, safe and sound, where it was installed, completing the second phase of the project.Funded by ZimFund, with the African Development Bank Group as a major partner, the project worth $22.74 million will deliver power to over 1.2m people living across the Midlands, Mashonaland East and West as well as Masvingo Provinces. The substation is currently equipped with three 90MVA, 330/88/11kV transformers, giving a total substation installed capacity of 270MVA against a substation demand of 350MVA.The new transformer will replace the old equipment which is beyond repair, causing numerous power interruptions that have impacted negatively on households, industry, human capital institutions, and essential basic service delivery.WSP Power managing director Dinesh Buldoo, representing the government of Zimbabwe, said that the delivery of the transformer was “a key milestone since it is the largest key equipment included in the projec t scope”.The project faced delays, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in the production and due to logistics issues. The African Development Bank-managed EPIRP Phase II was designed to improve the availability of electricity supply through rehabilitation of generation, transmission and distribution facilities. The project target areas were Kwekwe, Gweru, Bulawayo, Mutare, Harare and Hwange, with a combined target population of five million people.Commenting on the delivery of the transformer, ZETDC Network Development Engineer Edson Manyewe said it would result in “improved reliability of supplies, efficient operation of the network, as well as improved quality of supplies”.ZimFund has been instrumental in restoring Zimbabwe’s critical infrastructure for power, water supply and sanitation. By the end of the first phase of the power project I in 2016, more than 529 768 people in residential areas had their sewage reticulation serviced by reliable power, 11 632 others were restored to the electricity network, and 11 097 people were added to the network.Under its energy sector, the African Development Bank is also financing other infrastructure projects in Zimbabwe such as the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation, Alaska-Karoi Transmission Line, and Energy Sector Reform Support projects, with a total investment of $90.5m.
