Zimbabwe turns to coal from China to boost its power supply

Zimbabwe is turning to coal from China to boost its power supply.

The country is struggling to meet its needs as power cuts can last up to 19 hours a day.

The economy depends on Hwange, its largest coal-fired station, for electricity.

On Monday a new generation unit started operating. It is first of two units, each with a capacity of 300 megawatts, largely financed by China.

Estimates suggest that Zimbabwe's 16 million people would need about 1,700 megawatts of power daily, a far cry from what the country is capable of producing.

The situation has been made worse by the drought that currently affects the southern African country, in particular the Kariba Dam in northern Zimbabwe that is share with neighbouring Zambia.