ZIMBABWE’s crippling power cuts running into several hours per day are set to spill over to 2025 due to lack of foreign currency for imports to cover the shortfalls.
The country is failing to generate enough electricity to meet demand owing to a combination of factors, including low water levels at Kariba Dam because of drought.
The Kariba hydropower plant, with a total capacity of 1,050 megawatts (MW), has seen its dependable capacity drop to as low as less than 100 megawatts.
Ordinary citizens are bearing the brunt of prolonged power cuts while businesses have been left counting losses as they are forced to use expensive back up power alternatives such as generators.
Last week, there was a national blackout as the electricity crisis deepened, but authorities attributed the outages to an imbalance of power on international connectors.
Zesa Holdings executive chairman, Sydney Gata, has ruled out a quick fix to the energy crisis citing foreign currency shortages to cover the shortfalls.
“More than 50% of our dependable capacity has been wiped out. This is the main reason behind load shedding,” Gata told journalists during a press briefing.
“The other factor is that power inputs to supplement the deficit are expensive and they demand foreign currency.
“We do not have enough foreign currency to make up for the deficit.”
As of yesterday, the country was generating 869 MW split as 695 from Hwange, Kariba 124 MW and independent power producers 50MW.
In July, Zimbabwe turned to South Africa and Mozambique, to import 200 megawatts of electricity to alleviate the country’s power shortage.
In December last year, the country said it had cut electricity imports after the 300-megawatt Hwange power plant was commissioned.
Gata ruled out an end to power outages in the near future, despite repeating in previous several reports that the country would end load shedding in 2025.
In July 2023, the government announced an end to load shedding.
Gata repeated in previous claims that 18 new power stations, collectively adding 4 600 MW of capacity, were under construction and set to commence by 2025.
“The results will start to show by the middle of next year,” he said.
He said there was also a need to replace 24 000 kilometers of underground cables and overhead conductors.
Energy and Power Development minister Edgar Moyo announced ambitious plans to adopt nuclear energy to address the country’s power shortages.