Zambia Extends Electricity Rationing To Include Mining Firms
On Tuesday, 10.01.2023 the chairman of state-owned power utility Zambia Electricity Supply Cooperation (Zesco) announced that Zambia has begun rationing electricity to mining companies due to decreased power generation as a result of a significant decline in water levels in Lake Kariba.
The Zambezi River Authority, responsible for managing the dam, reported that on Monday, 09.01.2023 the water levels in Lake Kariba were at a low of 1.66% of usable storage for the Kariba North Bank Power Station in Zambia and the Kariba South Bank Power Station on the Zimbabwean side of the lake.
The Kariba North Bank Power Station in Zambia has the ability to generate 1,080 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and the Kariba South Bank Power Station on the Zimbabwean side of the lake has a capacity of 1,050 MW.
Hydropower is a significant source of electricity in Zambia, contributing to over 75% of the country’s power generation.
Vickson Ncube, the chairman of the utility, said that they initially requested mining companies in Africa’s second largest copper producer to decrease their power usage by 180 MW, but after negotiations, they agreed to reduce it to 110 MW.
Due to the threat of decreased power generation from low water levels in the lake, last week Zesco increased the daily rationing of electricity to domestic customers from six hours to twelve hours
Lake Kariba’s water levels have dropped as a result of diminished flows from the Zambezi river and its tributaries, as well as extensive utilization by power generation firms in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
According to Ncube, the power rationing is expected to decrease by the middle of February as the water level increases and normal power generation is forecasted to resume in March.
