NEW: Power consumption declines

Business Reporter

ZIMBABWE’s power consumption declined by 5,7 percent to 10 096 gigawatt-hours in 2023, owing to limited power generation at Kariba.

This was 614 gigawatts hours decline from 10 710 gigawatts hours in 2022.

Gigawatt hour (GWh) measures energy used to express the quantity of energy produced or consumed.

Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) chairman Dr David Madzikanda revealed this at the authority’s 11th Annual General Meeting held in Harare last Friday.

This comes as the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has constantly reported that electricity generation at Lake Kariba might remain suppressed given the decline of water inflows into the reservoir.

Water allotment for electricity production is poised to stay at 16 billion cubic metres (BCM) through 2024 providing for combined annual average power production of 428 megawatts between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Said Dr Madzikanda: “There was a marginal decrease in total energy consumption for the country in 2023 to 10,096-gigawatt hours, from 10,710 gigawatt-hours in 2022.

“That was likely due to the low inflows into Kariba, meaning we have not been generating as much as we should be from Kariba.

“I think as we speak, we are less than 220-gigawatt generation from Kariba, from its total potential. But we are also beginning to see more customers starting to produce their own power.”

Dr Madzikanda said Independent Power Producers (IPPS) contributed 291 gigawatt hours.