PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POWER SUPPLY OUTLOOK FOR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2024
⚡ Power Supply Alert: ZESCO anticipates a significant power supply gap in September and October 2024 due to drought-induced hydropower deficits and planned maintenance at Maamba Energy.
🔧 Maintenance Impact: Maamba Energy’s 300MW plant will undergo phased maintenance, reducing generation capacity by 150MW in late August and another 150MW in September.
🌊 Kariba North Bank Concerns: With Lake Kariba’s water level at a critical low, there’s a risk of shutting down the Kariba North Bank Power Station by mid-September.
🚨 Emergency Measures: ZESCO has secured an additional 200MW in imports but warns that power rationing may still be necessary.
🌍 Energy Efficiency: Customers are urged to reduce electricity usage, especially during peak hours, to help stabilize the grid.
🚫 Vandalism Warning: Rising vandalism of power infrastructure is a serious concern. Report any suspicious activities and unexpected outages immediately.
unexpected outages immediately? How does one even fathom that? Scheduled are released every week. Are they followed by those regulating when power is switched on or off.
It took the entire former Minister of Energy to threaten Zesco to stick to the announced schedule. Right now where is that Minister?
Counting cattle and other livestock. Talk about engineers being misplaced. Wonder what he knows about livestock?
Anywho…what difference will the 200MW and wonder where Zesco sourced the money to buy this 200MW when last week we would being told they needed to raise the tariffs to raise US$ 14million to buy 150MW. So without raising tariffs they have managed to buy an extra 50MW.
Me thinking Zesco isnt telling the truth. So if they can buy 200MW with a tariff increase then money is not a constraint, just pay for the importation of power. Ni boza yamene mwa yamba ba ZESCO and ERB isnt being forthright either.