ZESCO Announces Reduced Loadshedding

ZESCO has announced a reduction of loadshedding to a maximum of 12 hours per day, following 10 days of 15 hours. The reduction has been made possible following the restoration of the generating unit 2, belonging to one of the country’s Independent Power Producers (IPPs) after maintenance. The development means 132 MW has now been reinstated to the national grid.

The update follows calls from the Zambian Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) last week for ZESCO to consider a reduction in electricity tariffs as part of measures to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic is causing a lot of pressure on local business but could also see various global supply chains interrupted, meaning that local production of goods has never been more important.

Speaking on the issues ZAM vice-president Chipego Zulu stated, “When it comes to electricity, I know it’s a difficult thing to discuss, but we do recognise that last year, the electricity tariffs did go up by over 100 per cent in some sectors.”

“Now as we are looking at local manufacturers to step up their production in the midst of this pandemic, obviously the costs of production of have an impact on their capability to do so and so with regard to electricity, it would be a welcome incentive to reduce those tariffs for the manufacturing sector even if it’s by half of what they had increased because that would at least minimize the impact in terms of cost of production,” she continued.

According to ZESCO Director Generation Fidelis Mubiana Zambia currently has a power deficit of 810 MW.

Meanwhile, UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema has recently stated that in government the opposition party would carry out a complete audit of ZESCO’s major contracts from the last 10 years.

“There is no doubt that ZESCO is one of the biggest problems we have in Zambia. Without stable and consistent electricity power supply in the country, all our plans for economic resuscitation will be doomed,” Hichilema stated.

“Here is the company that was one of the beneficiaries of the biggest chunk of the borrowed Eurobonds, but in a catastrophic failure to the nation, yet they increased electricity tariffs with the promise of better service,” he added.