The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Farawo
Zimbabwe Power Company’s electricity generation capacity has fallen to 285MW from 475MW due to continued deterioration of water levels in Kariba Dam.
The Zambezi River Authority has continued its water rationing to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, the ZPC’s parent company, for electricity generation from 33 billion cubic metres to 10 cubic metres.
At this time last year, Kariba was generating more than 700MW.
The reduced water allocation means that the ZPC and the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation will now be allowed to generate a combined 550MW.
Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Samuel Undenge said, “We are aware of the situation at Kariba but contingent measures are already in place.
‘‘We are going to cover that gap through imports and various power projects. Like we have already said, we are going to get 300MW from South Africa. Our emergency power generation in Dema will be kicking in a month.”
The ZRA told Zimbabwe and Zambia that if they continued to exploit Kariba at the current rate, the dam would be dry in four months.
The authority said the revised water levels were sufficient to sustain electricity generation until the end of the year.
It will take between three to five years for the dam to allow normal generation depending on rainfall patterns.
Kariba Dam’s storage capacity is 65 billion cubic metres and 12 billion cubic metres is annually stored in the reservoir.
“It is clear from the foregoing that filling of the lake can take less or more years depending on the intensity and distribution of rainfall in a particular season and adherence by the utilities to prescribed generation levels,” said the ZRA in a statement.
