Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa inaugurated power station that he said would go a long way in easing power shortages ahead of national elections.
Addressing supporters at a local stadium after the opening, Mnangagwa said the new 600MW coal-fired power plant would be "a critical enabler of development", adding Zimbabwe was "open for business".
The landlocked southern African country has for years been reeling under severe power shortages that at their worst late last year left millions of people in the dark for up to 19 hours a day.
The government declared a sudden end to blackouts in July although most people still experience daily outages lasting a couple of hours.
The plant, the expansion of a pre-existing station, is one of four energy projects undertaken with a $1.2 billion loan from China, with which Harare has ties dating back to fight for independence from Britain.
Sanctions impact
"China is always ready to help Zimbabwe to achieve its goal to uplift its people," Chinese ambassador Zhou Ding told the stadium rally.
Zimbabwe can't access financing from international lenders like the IMF and World Bank due to payment arrears, AFP news agency reports.
The country is also the target of western economic sanctions over alleged graft and rights abuses. Mnangagwa has long blamed the punitive measures for the country's dire straits.
Mnangagwa, 80, is seeking a second presidential term on August 23. In Hwange he told supporters Zimbabwe would now be self-sufficient in its power needs and the government would continue to focus on growing the economy "by thinking outside the box".
