Zambia to begin supplying 100MW electricity to Zimbabwe on Aug. 1

Zambia to begin supplying 100MW electricity to Zimbabwe on Aug. 1

Zambia's state-owned power utility to supply electricity to power-starved Zimbabwe under 3-year contract that can be extended to 5 years

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zambia will begin supplying 100 megawatts of electricity to power-starved Zimbabwe on Aug. 1 under a $6.3 million a month agreement, the country's energy minister said on Wednesday.

The state-owned power utility Zesco will supply the neighboring country's state-owned Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) under a three-year contract that can be extended to five years.

"ZESA will pay Zesco $6.3 million monthly for power supplies from the Kafue Gorge Lower," Energy Minister Peter Kapala said in a statement in the capital Lusaka on Wednesday, referring to a newly inaugurated 750MW power station in southern Zambia.

The 750MW electricity from the Kafue Gorge Lower boosts the country's power availability to 3,456MW against a national demand of 2,300MW, with a surplus of 1,156MW available for export to neighboring nations.

Kapala stated that the surplus is available for export within the Southern African Power Pool, with requests also coming in from Namibia and South Africa.

The Southern African Power Pool is a Southern African Development Community-sponsored collaboration of national electrical companies.

"Zimbabwe and South Africa are facing significant power shortages, and we are privileged to have this surplus that can be shared with the rest of the region," he added.

Despite the surplus, the southern African country, which also serves as the continent's second mining hub, is also seeking to alternate energy sources such as wind and solar to diversify its energy mix.

This is owing to the water issues faced by the hydropower-producing industry in view of intermittent droughts, which happen frequently due to the world climate crisis.​​​​​​​

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