Group faults poor maintenance of Maamba Plant, other electricity assets

Timely and sustainable maintenance of turbines and generators must be undertaken by companies supplying electricity to avoid disruptions of power that has damaging effects on the economy.

The increased load shedding due to maintenance at Maamba Power Plant should have been avoided if the company undertook a timely and sustainable maintenance of its turbines and generators.

This is according to the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) Executive Director Faides Tembatemba in a statement issued in Lusaka on Friday.

Tembatemba emphasised that long term and strategic measures needed to be put in place in maintaining turbines and generators at power producing plants such as Maamba.

“CSPR recommends that even as the load shedding is being implemented, Government should put in place effective macroeconomic policy strategies that will not further increase the cost of living.

“Prices of alternative sources of energy such as charcoal is likely to increase due to the increased load shedding. Apart from charcoal prices, the load shedding and electricity tariffs will have pass though effects to consumers especially poor and low-income households,” she said.

Tembatemba regretted that it was also almost impossible for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, including those in the informal sector, to survive with the deepening hardships.

Government, she said, had been increasing the price of fuel since 2021 and therefore, making it more expensive now to use a fuel powered generator at a small local enterprise.

Read more: Power outages: Load shedding split into six-hourly schedule

“Hence, this is likely to affect all the economic empowerment programmes being promoted by government.

“The New Dawn government needs to go back to the drawing board of their energy policies as it is beginning to be a threat to national development in the country,” Tembatemba stated.

On the increase of electricity tariffs, Tembatemba hoped that they would be in line with the 8th National Development Plan (8NDP) vision to promote universal access to electricity for all citizens.

“CSPR also hopes that with the revised connection fees, Government, through ZESCO, will be strategising and coming up with long-term and sustainable energy solutions that will benefit all citizens including businesses that are involved in manufacturing and trade,” she said.