Measures in place for power availability

Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter

Electricity is critical to the attainment of Vision 2030 which entails achieving an upper middle class economy, so efforts to step up power imports have been put in place to augment locally generated electricity, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) commercial director, Engineer Ralph Katsande, has said.

Demand for electricity has risen to about 1 800MW this winter, against an average of 1 100MW generated mainly at Kariba Power Station and Hwange Thermal Station, which is undergoing an expansion process that will add 600MW.

The low generation capacity means additional power has to be imported.

Said Eng Katsande: “As you are aware, power supply is a key enabler for Vision 2030. Electricity is critical to reach that vision.

“We are in the winter season where the consumption of electricity peaks mainly due to winter demands such as winter wheat and water heating and we now see this peak mainly due to the loading post by winter wheat irrigation.” Eng Katsande said a number of interventions, such as getting imports from Mozambique and Zambia, had been considered to augment internal generation.

He said by year end, the first of the two units being added at Hwange Power Station would be commissioned and will generate 300MW.

“That will go a long way in reduce load shedding,” said Eng Katsande.

Zesa Holdings, ZETDC’s parent company, has since launched stakeholder engagements that seek, among other things, to encourage consumers to pay their bills and report cases of vandalism.

The country’s power utility has been losing over US$9 million annually due to vandalism and theft of its infrastructure, but the adoption of drone technology is expected to curb the vice.