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ZESCO says it may consider importing electricity from the neighboring countries following the low water levels at Lake Kariba.
Zesco senior manager for marketing and public relations Bessie Banda revealed that the firm’s transmission and distribution capacity was currently constrained.
Last week, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) announced that it had decided adjust water for power generation at Kariba Dam by 10 percent downward for the 2015 allocation.
Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development General Emelda Chola told a media briefing in Lusaka that the authority had informed Zesco Limited and Zimbabwe Power Company in order for the two utility companies to adjust their operations accordingly.
Ms Chola, who is also ZRA board chairperson, said the Zambezi basin received below normal rainfall runoff in the basin leading to lower Zambezi river flows and subsequent low in-flows into Lake Kariba.
And Ms Banda said the corporation was ready and could not change the adjustment made by the Zambia River Authority.
Ms Banda said the corporation wouldill look to neighbours who have power to supply the nation.
“Normally, we would look to the neighboring countries to try and import power when we don’t have enough. But the problem of power distribution is only Zambia but even our neighbours are facing the same problem,” she said.
Ms Banda said if the corporation fails to get power from our neighbours, it will ask its customers to be more energy efficient.
She said in terms of power generation Zesco was above 2300 megawatts despite having a fixed demand of 1900 megawatts.
Reported by Daily Nation
Ms Banda said due the corporation’s problems on transmission and distribution, the firm’s had no sufficient capacity to supply its customers.
She there were works that were under way for Zesco to deal with its transmission and distribution capacity problem, adding that only when that happened would be able to reduce on the load shedding that the nation was currently facing.
“The minister of mines, energy and water development has told us that with the recorded low water levels, we are going to face even more load shedding,” she said.
Ms Banda appealed to Zesco customers to help the firm redeem its energy efficiency, adding that the currently problem of water was something that was beyond our control.
