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Government has revised the 12 hours load-shedding downwards to eight hours following completion of maintenance works at Maamba Collieries Limited.
This means that the load shedding schedule has been revised to eight hours, in four hours intervals.
It also means that small businesses such as salons, barbar shops and welders will now have some time to conduct their businesses.
The 12 hours schedule, though split in six hours, had posed a challange for such businesses, as well as big companies as they had to consider other sources of energy for production.
Read more: Power outages: Load shedding split into six-hourly schedule
With the restoration of 150 megawatts generator at Maamba Collieries Limited, the current available generation as of January 19, 2023 was 1,910 megawatts against the power demand of 2,380 megawatts.
This is according to the acting Energy Minister Douglas Syakalima at a press conference on Thursday.
“This has resulted in a reduced power deficit from 620 megawatts to 470 megawatts hence the load-shedding duration being reviewed and revised downwards from 12 hours to eight hours,” Syakalima said.
He stated that customers would now be load shed for four hours, then have power for eight hours after which they would be load-shed for another four hours.
“Customers will first be load-shed for 4 hours twice in a day with each interval lasting 4 hours, against the initial interval of 6 hours. With this adjustment, customers will have power for a total 16 hours in a day as opposed to the previous 12 hours of power supply,” he said.
Also read: On the confusing tale of load shedding after surplus power generation by Bright Chizonde
Syakalima said the maintenance works at the power plant had been completed three days ahead of schedule following President Hakainde Hichilema’s intervention when he visited the power plant on January 8, 2023.
“Maintenance works at Maamba Collieries Limited were scheduled to take place from 6th January to 20 January, 2023 however the works were completed on 17th January, 2023, three days ahead of schedule and the power plant is now operating at full capacity.
“I wish to thank management at Maamba Collieries for the positive and prompt response to the President’s call,” he said
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