ZESCO Begins Importing Power from South Africa

ZESCO has started to import electricity from South Africa’s national utility company ESCOM as part of government’s plan to address current power shortages caused by the ongoing drought.

From August 1, ZESCO is importing 218 megawatts of electricity during off-peak consumption hours - enough to power 141,700 homes.

Speaking at the 96th Agricultural and Commercial Society show in Lusaka over the weekend, ZESCO spokesperson Matongo Maumbi said the imported electricity would be used to stabilise power supplies to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and markets.

Maumbi added that ZESCO is taking measures to ensure that public institutions are not affected during load shedding, installing diesel generators at key sites across the country to make up for any shortfall.

“So far, 22 generators have been procured and are expected to arrive in the country within the month,” he confirmed.

On Thursday, at the weekly energy situation update, Energy Minister Makozo Chikote explained that the country would start importing more electricity from neigbouring Zimbabwe and South Africa to make up for the more than 1,000 MW defecit, which has been prompted by the ongoing drought.

At the same update, Hon. Chikote explained other strategies the government is deploying to increase the supply of electricity ,including net metering, which allows electricity customers to generate their own solar or wind energy and sell that energy back to the grid in exchange for a credit towards the following year’s electricity tariff. This renewable excess energy can then be used by other homes and businesses.

The minister thanked Zambians for their resilience and patience as government works around the clock to tackle the energy crisis. He encouraged citizens to ‘Switch to Save’ wherever possible, turning off appliances that are not in use and using natural gas instead of electricity for heating food.

“As we move forward, let us unite in our determination to power a brighter future for Zambia. Let us work together towards a sustainable tomorrow,” Hon. Chikote concluded.