ZESCO: 'No Further Load Shedding Increases'

A spokesperson for ZESCO has said that the power company does not expect to further increase load shedding beyond the 17 hours per day due to begin on Sunday 1 September.

Asked in an interview whether citizens should prepare for more load shedding in the future, Matomgo Maumbi said “not really, because when the imports come as they should and with the little generation we have … so the idea is that, when we are using imports, some generators can rest.”

During last week’s energy situation update, Energy Minister Makozo Chikote told media and stakeholders that load-shedding would need to increase to 17 hours to tackle the shortfall in domestic electricity generation brought on as a result of the ongoing drought.

Water levels at Kariba dam remain critically low at about 10% of the usual amount required for generation. This is increasing the nation’s power deficit by approximately 300MW.

Government and ZESCO have responded by increasing power imports from neighbouring countries. On Monday, the Ministry of Information said ZESCO was increasing imports from the Southern African Power Pool to 496MW in order to protect critical sectors of the economy, such as mining and manufacturing.

The Minister said that ZESCO would need to embark on an energy tariff review after the acute stage of the crisis in order for the utility to recoup some of the money spent on power imports. Mr Chikote clarified on Friday, however, that domestic customers who use comparatively little energy will be charged less per unit, allowing businesses and other customers with broader shoulders to carry the heavier burden.

At the same update, Hon. Chikote outlined other strategies that government is pursuing to resolve the energy crisis. As of last week, the Rural Electrification Agency has rolled out 15 solar mini-grids in August alone. Meanwhile, work has begun on Maamba Energy’s new geothermal power plant, which is expected to come online in 2026 and produce and additional 300MW of electricity - approximately 12.5% of Zambia’s total energy demand.