Bulawayo power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is operated by ZESA Holdings Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 113k homes (estimated). It ranks #23 of 25 Zimbabwe power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2022, it is around 4 years old — recently built. In context, coal supplies about 42.9% of Zimbabwe's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (57.1% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_bulawayo_zimba.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 90 MW, Bulawayo power station is below the median coal plant in Zimbabwe (600 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Zimbabwe coal capacity
- 0.6% of 15,630 MW across 21 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 2 of 5 dated coal plants in Zimbabwe are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Zimbabwe
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by ZESA Holdings Ltd [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 20.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #19 largest coal power plant of 21 in Zimbabwe by capacity.
Zimbabwe has 21 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 15,630 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Gwayi Mine power station · Coal · 600 MW · Bulawayo
- Gwayi power station (Shanghai) · Coal · 1,200 MW · Bulawayo
- Zimbabwe power station · Coal · 1,200 MW · Midlands
- Gweru power station · Coal · 720 MW · Midlands
- Changshi Gweru power station · Coal · 100 MW · Midlands
- Francistown APR power station · Oil · 70 MW · Francistown
Location
Coordinates -20.158611, 28.575278 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Bulawayo power station?
Bulawayo power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, commissioned in 2022.
Who operates Bulawayo power station?
Bulawayo power station is operated by ZESA Holdings Ltd [100%].