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ZESCO anticipates a substantial power supply gap beginning September 2024, driven by a severe drought-induced hydropower generation deficit.
Company Spokesperson, Matongo Maumbi, stated that hydropower generation currently stood at 1,086 megawatts (MW) for August 2024, with a slight increase to 1,280 MW expected in September 2024.
However, the supply gap is expected to widen due to multiple factors, including scheduled maintenance by Maamba Energy.
“Maamba Energy, one of the Independent Power Producers with a total installed capacity of 300 MW, will conduct annual maintenance from August 27 to September 10, 2024, during which 150 MW of generation capacity will be offline for Phase 1,” Maumbi said.
Phase 2 of the maintenance, scheduled from September 16 to September 30, 2024, will result in another 150 MW being taken offline.
As of August 23, 2024, Lake Kariba’s water level has fallen to 476.81 meters above sea level, representing just 9.05 percent of the reservoir’s storage capacity—a significant drop from last year’s 27.53% capacity.
“With water resources nearing the minimum operating level, ZESCO faces the imminent risk of depleting the remaining reserves by September 14, 2024, potentially leading to the shutdown of the Kariba North Bank Power Station,” Maumbi warned.
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ZESCO’s power supply mix, which includes its predominantly hydro-based sources, solar and thermal energy from Independent Power Producers, and imports from the Southern African Power Pool, was further strained by import route constraints, equipment failures, and acts of vandalism.
To mitigate the impact, ZESCO secured an additional 200 MW in imports starting August 1, 2024. However, Maumbi noted that these imports might not be sufficient to fully balance supply and demand, particularly during peak hours.
“Emergency power rationing remains a possibility, and ZESCO is exploring all available options to stabilize the situation,” he added.
Maumbi urged customers to reduce electricity consumption immediately and decisively, highlighting the rise in vandalism of power infrastructure as an additional challenge.
“Customers are encouraged to report any suspicious activities near power installations and to report prolonged outages, which may be due to vandalism or technical faults, rather than scheduled rationing,” Maumbi advised.
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