Harare power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is operated by ZESA Holdings Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 113k homes (estimated). It ranks #24 of 25 Zimbabwe power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1955, it is around 71 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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_harare_zimba.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 30 MW for Harare power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
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, Harare 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
- 0 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 subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 17.8°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).
How it compares & nearby plants
The #20 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
- Dangote power station · Coal · 630 MW · Harare
- Lubu power station · Coal · 600 MW · Harare
- Western Coal and Energy power station · Coal · 600 MW · Harare
- Sunny Yi Feng thermal power station · Coal · 210 MW · Mashonaland West
- Karo power station · Coal · 600 MW · Mashonaland West
- Kwekwe Indarama power station · Coal · 300 MW · Midlands
Location
Coordinates -17.845, 31.031667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Harare power station?
Harare power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in Harare, Zimbabwe, commissioned in 1955.
Who operates Harare power station?
Harare power station is operated by ZESA Holdings Ltd [100%].