Zimbabwe has finalized a $455 million, 15-year concession agreement with Jindal Africa, the Africa-focused arm of India's Jindal Steel, to refurbish six aging units at the Hwange thermal power station, aiming to boost the country's strained electricity supply amid chronic shortages.

Energy Minister July Moyo announced the deal during a post-cabinet briefing on Tuesday, stating the four-year refurbishment project will restore the 920-megawatt capacity of the coal-fired plant, Zimbabwe's largest power facility. Jindal Africa will finance the upgrades and recover its investment through electricity sales revenue before handing operations back to the state-owned Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) at the end of the concession period.

The Hwange plant, operational since the 1980s, has been plagued by breakdowns, currently running at about a third of its potential despite a 2023 upgrade that added 600 megawatts from two new units, bringing its total capacity to 1,520 megawatts. Zimbabwe generates only around half of its 2,000-megawatt national demand, leading to daily power cuts lasting up to 18 hours that disrupt homes, businesses, and industries.

Complementing Hwange, the Kariba South hydropower station—upgraded to 1,050 megawatts in 2018—has seen output slashed by recurring droughts, further exacerbating the energy crisis. Officials view the Jindal partnership as a critical step to stabilize supply without immediate reliance on hydroelectric sources, though environmental groups have raised concerns over the expansion of coal dependency amid global shifts toward renewables.