Coal occupies an unusual position in Zimbabwe’s energy sector. The country is developing solar power and depends heavily on hydropower, yet coal remains its largest source of electricity during periods of low rainfall. It is also an important input for steel, ferroalloys, cement and other industries that require heat or carbon-rich materials.
Most activity is concentrated in and around Hwange in north-western Zimbabwe. This area combines coal mines, processing facilities, railway connections and the country’s largest thermal power station. Coal from Hwange has supported Zimbabwe’s electricity system for decades, but the sector now includes newer private producers and proposed projects elsewhere in the Mid-Zambezi basin.
Zimbabwe therefore does not treat coal as an industry in managed decline. Its immediate priorities are reliable electricity, industrial growth and reduced dependence on power imports. However, ageing generating units, limited finance, environmental damage and climate commitments make the long-term direction more complicated.
Hwange Is the Centre of Zimbabwe’s Coal Industry
The name Hwange refers both to Zimbabwe’s best-known coal-mining district and to the thermal power station that dominates the country’s coal-fired generation. The district developed around extensive coal deposits and remains the centre of mining, power production and coke manufacturing.
Hwange Colliery Company Limited is the historic anchor of the industry. The company has operated in the area for more than a century and produces several coal products for electricity generators and industrial customers. It is no longer the only significant supplier. Makomo Resources, Zambezi Gas and Coal Mine and other private operators have expanded the range of companies working in the district.
Zimbabwe’s coal is not a single uniform product. Thermal coal is burned to generate electricity, while industrial and coking coal can be processed for use in metal production. The value of a deposit therefore depends on its quality, location, processing requirements and access to customers.
Additional coal resources occur in the Mid-Zambezi basin. The Muchesu project, formerly called the Lubu project, is located in the wider Hwange mining region and is being developed mainly around coking coal. Its commercial importance comes from the possibility of supplying higher-value coal and coke to steel and ferroalloy producers rather than relying only on the power market.
The geography creates advantages but also constraints. Mines located near Hwange Power Station can supply a major customer without transporting coal across the entire country. Industrial coal and coke intended for customers in central Zimbabwe, South Africa or other regional markets require dependable road and rail services. Weak transport infrastructure can therefore reduce the competitiveness of otherwise valuable resources.
Coal Power Has Expanded, but Reliability Remains Uneven
Zimbabwe has approximately 1.68 gigawatts of installed coal-generating capacity. Hwange Power Station accounts for most of it, while smaller thermal stations have historically operated in Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati.
The importance of coal changes according to hydrological conditions. Kariba South Power Station gives Zimbabwe a large source of hydropower, but generation falls when water levels in the Zambezi system are restricted. During severe droughts, coal can provide more than 70% of the country’s electricity. In years with better water availability, its share is lower.
This makes Hwange more than an ordinary baseload power plant. It acts as Zimbabwe’s main domestic alternative when hydropower production declines. The country otherwise has to increase electricity imports or impose deeper load shedding, both of which create economic costs.
Units 7 and 8 were added to Hwange Power Station in 2023, providing about 600 megawatts of new capacity. Their completion represented the largest recent expansion of Zimbabwe’s electricity system and helped reduce some of the pressure caused by weak hydropower output.
The newer units did not resolve the problems affecting the station’s six older generators. Those units were commissioned during the 1980s and have experienced frequent breakdowns, maintenance delays and reduced output. Although their combined design capacity is 920 megawatts, their dependable contribution has often been much lower.
Zimbabwe has consequently moved toward another major rehabilitation programme. A concession agreement with Jindal is intended to restore around 400 megawatts of output from the older units. The value of this work will depend not only on completing repairs but also on maintaining the plant, securing coal deliveries and operating the surrounding transmission infrastructure.
Installed capacity can therefore give a misleading picture of Zimbabwe’s coal sector. A power station may have a large nameplate capacity while producing far less electricity because of equipment failures, maintenance requirements or supporting infrastructure problems. Improving dependable output is more important than adding capacity that cannot be used consistently.
Coal Supports a Wider Industrial Strategy
Electricity generation is the largest visible use of Zimbabwean coal, but industrial demand is becoming more important. Coal and coke are required by iron and steel plants, ferrochrome smelters, cement manufacturers and other businesses that operate high-temperature processes.
This gives the industry two distinct markets. Thermal coal is closely linked to the financial and operational condition of the national electricity system. Coking and industrial coal can be sold to private industrial customers and may offer stronger margins when product quality and processing standards are suitable.
The revival of Zimbabwe’s iron and steel industry could increase this demand. New investment in steel production creates a domestic market for coke and metallurgical coal, while Zimbabwe’s established ferrochrome sector requires carbon inputs for smelting. Coal producers are therefore interested in moving further along the value chain by washing coal, producing coke and supplying products designed for particular industrial processes.
Muchesu illustrates this direction. The project contains thermal, industrial and coking coal, but its development strategy has placed particular emphasis on coking coal and possible coke production. A successful integrated operation would sell a processed industrial material rather than only unprocessed coal from the mine.
Hwange itself is also being presented as the base for a broader coal-led industrial system. This could include mining, washing, coke production, power generation and industries that use coal-derived inputs. Such a model would retain more value inside Zimbabwe, but it requires substantial capital, reliable water, efficient transport and customers able to sign dependable purchase agreements.
Regional exports remain possible, especially for specialised coal and coke. However, Zimbabwe is landlocked, and bulk commodities face high transport costs. Export growth depends on rail links through neighbouring countries and access to regional ports. Domestic industry may therefore provide a more practical market for some producers than distant international buyers.
Coal Expansion and Climate Policy Are Moving in Parallel
Zimbabwe’s energy policy contains two directions that can appear difficult to reconcile. The government wants more solar power, stronger transmission networks and lower greenhouse gas emissions, but it also expects coal to support electricity security and industrial development.
The country’s recent climate planning reflects this position. Zimbabwe has committed to reducing emissions below its projected business-as-usual pathway, yet official scenarios still include coal generation. The government has discussed rehabilitating existing Hwange units and adding further coal capacity while using renewable energy, efficiency measures and improved electricity networks to control future emissions.
A proposed 720-megawatt coal plant has appeared in national planning documents. It should be treated as a development proposal rather than existing capacity. Large coal projects require financing, environmental approval, transmission connections, water supplies and long-term fuel arrangements. International lenders have also become more reluctant to fund conventional coal power, increasing the importance of bilateral finance and private investors.
Environmental conditions around Hwange will remain a major issue. Coal mining can disturb land, generate dust and affect surface or groundwater. Thermal power stations produce ash and air pollutants in addition to carbon dioxide. These impacts are especially significant where mines, power plants, industrial facilities and residential communities are concentrated in the same district.
Water creates another connection between coal and climate risk. Coal generation can reduce Zimbabwe’s direct dependence on drought-sensitive hydropower, but thermal plants also require water for boilers and cooling. Hwange Power Station relies on water transported from the Zambezi River, making the security of this supporting system essential to electricity production.
Zimbabwe is unlikely to replace coal quickly. The more immediate transition will involve a changing balance between coal, hydropower, solar generation, electricity imports and private captive power. Coal may continue to provide firm generation while solar and other sources increase their share of daytime supply.
Zimbabwe’s Coal Future Depends on Performance, Not Resources Alone
Zimbabwe has enough geological potential to maintain a substantial coal industry, but the sector’s future will be decided by operational and commercial performance. Mines must produce coal of consistent quality, power stations must remain available, and transport networks must connect producers with electricity and industrial customers.
The rehabilitation of Hwange’s older units is particularly important. Restoring dependable generation would allow the country to gain more value from infrastructure it already owns. Failure to improve those units would leave Zimbabwe dependent on the two newer generators, variable hydropower and imported electricity.
Industrial coal and coke could provide a second route for growth. Steel, ferroalloy and cement production may create stronger domestic demand and reduce the sector’s dependence on the national power utility. This opportunity will be greatest where companies can combine mining with washing, coke production and secure industrial supply agreements.
Coal will remain part of Zimbabwe’s energy system for the foreseeable future, but its role is changing. Its strongest justification is no longer the existence of large deposits by itself. It is the ability to provide dependable electricity during hydropower shortages and to support industries that Zimbabwe wants to rebuild. Whether the sector expands successfully will depend on reliable plants, functioning infrastructure, environmental management and investment in higher-value coal products.