Government has announced a cut down in electricity exports due to low power generation.
Energy Minister Peter Kapala has however explained that the government will not completely do away with exports to maintain existing power markets.
The Minister says currently ZESCO is a cash strapped entity, adding that the little exports are the ones cushioning the power utility’s operations.
Engineer Kapala states that the government is alive to the disruption being caused by the ongoing load management, but that it is cautious of ensuring that there is no complete shutdown.
The Minister said this in an exclusive interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, further explaining that currently, water levels at Kariba dam stands at 3.4 meters way below the previous years.
He says as a result, the country is losing about 300 to 600 megawatts of electricity from the expected 1,080 megawatts of power at the Kariba North Bank power station.
Engineer Kapala says the government’s interest at the moment is to ensure that industries keep running to sustain the economy.
The Minister has meanwhile, assured Zambians that government expects the load management to stabilize in the first quarter of this year as it is working round the clock to bring on board the 105 Megawatts Ndola Energy Power Plant and the 150 Megawatts 5th generating unit at the 750 Megawatts Kafue Gorge lower Hydro Power Station.
Credit: ZANIS
