By Kwedu News
Zimbabwe has significantly reduced electricity load shedding following a massive increase in power generation mainly from Hwange and Kariba.
The increase in power generation has also been boosted by independent solar power producers.
Zimbabwe’s current average power generation is now around 1 500 MW against an average power demand of 1 850 MW.
Quoted in one of Zimbabwe’s local state media outlets, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) Acting Managing Director, Engineer Howard Choga, is optimistic load shedding will be minimal in the short to medium term.
“…there will be no need to have a load-shedding schedule.
“Our projection is that we are not going to be shedding going forward, at least in the medium term,” Choga said.
He said for the past few weeks, the country has been generating enough power.
“If we are not shedding it means we are getting enough for the consumers.
“At the moment we are getting 100 megawatts from South Africa, and from Mozambique, we have two sources that is Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) of Mozambique, which is giving us 50MW and EDM 10MW, that’s enough for the demand in the country,” Choga is quoted having said.
Zimbabwe recently completed the Hwange Thermal Power Station Units 7 and 8 expansion which boosted supply to the national electricity grid.
Following improvement in water levels at the country’s main electricity supply station at Kariba, power generation increased to just over 900 MW, coming from as low as 300MW generation at national level.
The establishment of solar power stations through private power generators has also contributed to closing the power deficit.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, in a post-cabinet briefing recently claimed load shedding had ended despite a 200MW deficit still remaining.
“Cabinet noted with satisfaction that the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority has announced the end to load-shedding as a result of the interventions implemented by the Second Republic thereby fulfilling the mantra “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo,” she said.
Recent power generation figures show that the Zimbabwe Power Company, another subsidiary of ZESA was generating 1 577 MW in total.
From Kariba Hydro 925 MW were being generated, Hwange Thermal 605 MW, Bulawayo Thermal 25 MW, Harare Thermal 12 MW while Munyati Thermal 10 MW.
current demand is sitting at about 1 850MW.That left a shortfall of 273 MW,
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