United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) will soon contribute to the national power grid once its solar plant starts operating, according to an engineer with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Eng Godfrey Sibanda spoke during a recent UNDP tour of various areas where the humanitarian organisation is implementing projects.
UNDP installed a 350-kilowatt solar plant at UBH, enabling the health facility to run its clinical operations smoothly. A similar 300-kilowatt project is underway at Mpilo Hospital.
“Any plant producing over 100 kilowatts must be registered with ZERA (Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority). This one is 350 kilowatts, so it obviously needs registration. ZERA’s recommendations further advise that any excess energy produced should be fed into the national grid. Being one of the biggest solar plants in the country, it’s likely to contribute to the national grid,” he said.
“The system has six inverters. Even if one or two inverters malfunction, others will remain operational. It will power everything here at the hospital except for the training school.”
Eng Sibanda said the hospital will achieve significant cost savings, particularly on electricity, once the grid connection is operational.
“These savings should be channelled properly for future use. The UNDP will only be there for three years. Beyond that, the hospital will be responsible for maintaining the solar system independently. If the savings are well-managed, plant maintenance can continue even after the project ends. We expect the plant to be up and running by June 2024.”
Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, commended the progress made by UNDP and encouraged hospital staff to develop robust maintenance plans for the plant.
“The hospital needs to develop robust measures to ensure this asset is well-maintained. We need to cultivate a culture of maintenance for project sustainability,” he said.
“High-impact projects like this create indirect jobs. This project will require maintenance by engineers and electrical companies. Can we prioritize local companies to maintain this project for optimal care? We also need to learn from this experience. If it took six months to implement this project, let’s reflect and identify areas for improvement to expedite future projects.”
Dr. Trust Mushawarima, the Acting Clinical Director at UBH, said the initiative is a welcome one that will eliminate disruptions to clinical services.
“This initiative will provide us with sustainable power, ensuring all machines run 24/7. We are very grateful because, with this capacity, clinic services won’t be interrupted,” he said.
“It will reduce our electricity costs in the long term, and we will even be able to contribute to the national grid. This will save money that can be channelled towards other clinical services, ultimately enhancing service delivery in this hospital. As a hospital, it’s our priority to ensure we maintain this facility.”
