Africa-Press – Zambia. ZESCO Limited states putting into consideration the request by the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) for industries to be exempted from the ongoing load shedding.
ZESCO Limited Director for Generation Eng. Wesley Lwiindi noted that the industries will be the last to be affected by the current load management, adding the continuation of this exemption will be determined by the water levels that will be available for power generation at the Kariba Dam.
Mr Lwiindi has mentioned that Zesco has started working on the solar power generation project with the aim of saving water used for hydro power generation.
He explained that so far, the power utility is running tenders with the view of bringing in 150 megawatts in the first phase through the installation of 50 megawatts power stations to be dotted in different parts of the country and escalate it to 800 megawatts in the medium term.
Meanwhile, early this week the country’s power utility company ZESCO Limited warned that the country risks going into a second phase of load management should the current low water levels in its reservoirs persist.
Speaking during the tour of the Kariba North Bank Power Station in Siavonga today, ZESCO Director, Generation Wesley lwiindi disclosed that the water levels in the reservoirs are extremely low.
Mr Lwiindi has since appealed to energy consumers to reduce the use of electricity so that more water can be reserved and allow for generation in times to come until water levels improve which will result in normal generation.
He is also hopeful that the rainfall pattern will improve and that all the water being held in flooded areas will start trickling to the Zesco reservoirs.
Mr Lwiindi noted that the switching into load shedding given the low water levels being recorded at the Kariba power generation in Siavonga district, as the power utility company is banking on the rains to sustain the power generation and supply.
“ZESCO Limited Director of Generation, Wesley Lwiindi, added that this is the lowest water levels recorded in it’s reservoirs since 1992”
Meanwhile, Kariba North Bank Power Station Manager Cephas Museba said that the power station is currently running up to four turbines of the six installed machines but increases to five during peak hours.
In his presentation, Power Station Manager, Cephas Museba, highlighted that the power station is running up to four turbines of the six installed, but resorts to five turbines during peak hours.
Mr Museba also says the power station has so far produced 99.5% of the 220 billion cubic meters of the water allocated to it by the Zambezi River Authority
On 15th December, 2022, the power utility, ZESCO Limited, started affecting daily load-shedding of up to six hours countrywide because of low water levels at Kariba Dam, the country’s main power plant.
Meanwhile, Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) President Chabuka Kawesha said that ZACCI recommends that Cabinet, in direction to the Ministry of Energy (MoE), Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MoFNP), Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry (MCTI) and Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MoGEE) agree on the minimum Megawatts (MW) each of the 10 Provinces must generate to meets its Commercial, Industrial and Residential power needs as well as potential Power exports over the next 10 years. Additional guidance by recommendations of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) which the Ministry of Energy must equally conclude if still open must unfold moving forward
“We appeal that Cabinet must agree a quantum in Megawatts (MW) that ZESCO will offtake from Independent Power Producers (IPP) for provincial and national needs, as well as ease the IPPs Wheeling Agreement processes and support instruments for IPPs entry and power export to the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP). This is an aspect of ease of doing business in the electricity sub-sector,” Mr Kawesha said
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