Kariba to keep generating electricity: Minister Moyo
STAFF WRITER
Edgar Moyo, the Minister of Energy and Power Development, has stated that Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Station will keep producing electricity even though the water levels at Kariba Dam have dropped to a crisis point.
This is because the power plant hasn’t used up all of the water allocated for this year’s electricity generation.
It coincides with intentions revealed by neighbouring Zambia to stop power production at the Kariba North Power Station starting next week.
ZESCO announced in a statement this week that it will cease producing power on September 14, 2024.
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) manages water for power generation at the Kariba Dam, which the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), a power generation unit of ZESA and ZESCO, shares equally.
“…as it stands, I want to assure the public that we have not exhausted our generation capacity. So, we will be maintaining our production capacity up to the end of the year although with a measure of load shedding,” Minister Moyo said.
ZPC has been generating about 215MW at its power station in Kariba from an installed capacity of 1 050 megawatts (MW).
According to an update by the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a joint venture outfit owned by the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia with the mandate to manage water at Kariba, there is insufficient water in the dam to continue generating electricity.
When at full supply, the water levels will be at 488,50 metres, but at the present moment it’s at 476,70m and left with only 1,2m live storage water, which is water available for power generation.
Consequently, ZPC and ZESCO could be forced to shut down the power plants at Kariba.
Minister Moyo urged businesses with free funds to invest in the renewable energy sector for their own consumption.
He said the Government has created an enabling policy environment enabling users of renewable sources to bring solar equipment freely into the country.
The country’s Renewable Energy Policy enables individuals and companies to import solar equipment without paying custom duty as part of the measures to encourage embracing renewable energy sources.
