Zambia’s Govt Addresses Load Shedding with New Measures
On June 17, Cornelius Mweetwa, Minister for Information and Media, held a press briefing to update the nation on the ongoing load shedding issues and the government’s response.
Mr. Mweetwa began by stating, “The government has been working around the clock to implement measures to mitigate the effects of the drought on power generation, as well as on food and water supplies, which have been severely impacted.”
He announced that Zesco will recall at least 100MW of power from the export market for local use within Zambia. Currently, Zesco is contractually obligated to supply power to the export market, but the government is working on a smooth exit plan from this agreement.
Mr. Mweetwa also reiterated that the government is importing 165MW of both firm and non-firm power for domestic use.
He continued, “The government, in collaboration with the private sector, has devised a financial solution to ensure the necessary funding to mobilize the second plant at Maamba Collieries, which will produce 300MW of power.”
Additionally, he revealed that the government had reached an agreement with Ndola Energy, which has not been producing power recently, to start supplying 105MW to Zesco in the next few days.
