NEWLY-appointed Energy and Power Development Minister
Advocate Fortune Chasi has hit the ground running, and is already exploring a number
of options including electricity trade-offs with Mozambique to address local
electricity shortages.
The trade-off proposition seeks to leverage on abundant
water in the Cahora Bassa Basin following Cyclone Idai, amid fears that the
continued discharge of large volumes of water during generation at Kariba South
and North power stations was causing flooding.
Coupled with prioritisation of demand side management,
Minister Chasi said the country would significantly reduce the electricity
import bill in the wake of depressed supply from Kariba and Hwange, Munyati,
Bulawayo and Harare thermal power stations.
“We need to understand the source of the problem that our
counterparts in Mozambique are facing as a result of Cyclone Idai in the
generation side of electricity,” said Minister Chasi.
“We do have a responsibility to work with them and try and
help with this particular problem.
“But we also have a need as Zimbabwe for electricity so we
are going to be engaging and I am told that our officials are going to be
meeting soon.”
Minister Chasi, who was on a tour of Kariba South Power
Station, said the Government would engage Mozambican officials to thrash out a
mutually beneficial arrangement.
He undertook the tour to understand the issues causing
load-shedding with a view to proffering possible solutions.
“There are things which Government can do and there are
also things that consumers can also do. There is need for intervention on the
generation side and also serious intervention on the consumption side,” he
said.
Some measures being explored to cut electricity usage
include introducing prepaid electricity meters on Government complexes and
assessment of usage to minimise load shedding.
Briefing Minister Chasi at Kariba North Power Station,
Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) chief executive Engineer Munyaradzi Munodawafa
said the proposal was being explored to benefit the two countries.
“We should sit down and agree that if there is need for
another utility to shutdown then the other utility can supply electricity not
in terms of money, but to also reciprocate over a period,” said Eng Munodawafa.
“We discussed and we have a committee to look into the
issue. As we speak, we have already written to HCB (Hidroelectrica de Cahora
Bassa of Mozambique) that ‘can you supply a bit of energy to ZESA and Zesco
(Zambia’s power utility) on that agreed position’.”
Eng Munodawafa said a trade-off arrangement was more
desirable than the inclination to monetise the transaction by power utilities.
He said discussions were expected to be conducted by the
end of May with a clear position on how much HCB would supply ZESA and Zesco.
“If we agree on that, there will be some mitigation. For us
(ZRA) maybe they can give 500MW which can be shared between the two utilities.
“We have already in principle agreed with the two utilities
on that arrangement,” said Eng Munodawafa.
ZRA, a corporation jointly and equally owned by the
governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe responsible for operating and maintaining
the Kariba Dam, has reduced available water for power generation from 38
million cubic litres to 34 million cubic litres that are shared equally to
produce 358MW of power on each side. Herald
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