admin
Sukoluhle Ndlovu Midlands Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has engaged the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) to certify the quality of electrical gadgets sold on the local market, as it tries to reduce power consumption through energy management regulations, an official has said.
This comes amid indications that the country’s electrical power generation continues to decline while consumption of power continues to rise.
In an interview, ZERA senior engineer Samuel Zaranyika said the energy regulator has invested over $150 000 in the exercise.
“As Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority, we have engaged Standards Association of Zimbabwe to certify the quality of electrical gadgets on the local market,” he said. “This is to make sure that all gadgets in the market are energy efficient.
“We are also empowering SAZ by putting up a laboratory that will enable the organisation to test and verify all electrical gadgets before being sold.
“For the project, we have committed over $150 000 for the Association to buy appropriate equipment which will be used for the tests.”
Eng Zaranyika said ZERA wanted to emulate the South African situation whereby South Africa Bureau of Standards certifies all gadgets.
“What it means is that, we are going the South African route whereby South Africa Bureau of Standards certifies all gadgets before being sold,” he said. “When the lab is fully equipped, we will ask that everybody who sells gadgets on the Zimbabwean market must get gadgets certified first by SAZ.
“Every electrical gadget sold in Zimbabwe should have a SAZ tag.”
Recently, ZERA announced that the country has a power supply of 1 649 megawatts (MW) against a demand of 1 675MW, which implies a shortfall of 26MW.
This comes at a time power generation at Kariba and Hwange has significantly declined.
Power generation at Hwange Thermal Power Station has dropped from 920 to 438 MW and it no longer has sufficient coal supply, while Kariba power station is no longer producing the 1 000MW it usually produces.
Online Reporter