Zimbabwe raises electricity tariffs by 31%

Zimbabwe’s electricity regulator has ordered a 31% tariff increase, in a move it said was meant to ensure the state-owned power utility Zesa’s profitability, the authority said on Thursday.

The increase would see the average tariff going up to 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), from the current 7.5 cents, with effect from September 1, the Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Commission (ZERC) said in a statement.

Zesa, the country’s sole power supplier, has often blamed low tariffs as one of the reasons behind erratic electricity supplies.

The southern African country currently generates less than 1 000 megawatts against demand of more than 2 000 megawatts, a situation that has held back the recovery of the key mining and manufacturing sectors.

Zimbabwe compliments local power generation with imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zambia.—Reuters