Zimbabwe, already reeling from daily blackouts, faces increased power outages due to declining local production and import cuts, a state-run newspaper reported on Sunday.
Electricity imports from neighbouring South Africa were suspended last week because of “forced outages in their system” expected to last at least two weeks, reported the Sunday Mail, a government mouthpiece.
Production by local coal-fired generators was also cut back because of coal shortages, the paper said.
Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1980, blamed largely on the often-violent seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to landless blacks. Years of erratic rainfall have also taken a toll on the agriculture-based economy.
Zimbabwe is plagued by regular power and water cuts blamed on acute shortages of hard currency, gasoline and imported spare parts.
The country imports 40% of its power from South Africa — the main supplier — and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority is now seeking additional power from Zambia, which shares output from the Kariba hydroelectric dam on the countries’ shared border, the paper said.
But Zambia will only be able to help when it has a surplus.
Recent coal shortages were worsened by the state power utility’s inability to pay its debts to suppliers and transporters, including the state railroad company, Mavis Chidzonga, head of the government’s power regulatory commission, told the Sunday Mail.
She said coal-fired power stations in Harare and the second city of Bulawayo shut down several weeks ago, and production at the main Hwange station in northwestern Zimbabwe is also being curtailed.
The government has previously refused to approve inflation-linked hikes in electricity fees. But Chidzonga said management reforms and massive tariff increases were needed to address what she called the country’s “precarious” power situation.
Inflation has soared to 586% and is expected to reach at least 800% in March, according to the state central bank. – AFP