2022-11-28 11:09:40
top By Online Reporter
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has been ordered to shut down Kariba South power station until January.
In a letter to the Zimbabwe Power Company, ZESA’S generating subsidiary, Zambezi River Authority chief executive Engineer Munyaradzi Munodawafa said the move comes as the country has exceeded its water ration with the little left in lake Kariba above the power station intakes now reserved for Zambia’s Kariba north station.
The Zambezi River Authority rations water use in the power stations with both utilities meant to be using their augmented power stations to cope with peak demand and then cutting back sharply in slack periods.
The development follows high-level joint technical committee meetings held recently, between the parties to the water purchase agreement for Kariba, and will see Zimbabweans already experiencing electricity cuts, going for long hours without power.
Electricity shortages are sweeping across the region, with authorities in South Africa having moved in to ensure nearly 80 hospitals are exempted from power blackouts.
The country's health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said they are working with Eskom and municipalities to ensure health facilities and patients are not affected by rolling power cuts.
This comes as Eskom is currently implementing stage 2 blackouts, and says the continued power cuts are mainly due to the high level of breakdowns, and the limited emergency generation reserves.
