Faith Duri
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority [ZESA] Holdings has warned stakeholders country wide that load shedding is expected to intensify for the next two weeks to allow the resumption of maintenance work on Kariba Dam hydro-power plants.
According to ZESA some units at Kariba South power station will be taken out of service to allow the completion of the critical works on the dam wall.
The works had been temporarily shelved over the festive season last year on December 16, resulting in the increase in load shedding during the festive season resulting in a large number of industries scaling down operations.
In a statement released on January 11, ZESA stakeholder relations department said the power utility would like to advice its stakeholders country wide on the resumption of rehabilitation works for the Kariba dam Rehabilitation project.
“Following the Zambezi River Authority’s request to reduce generation levels at the Kariba North and South power stations, some units at Kariba south power station will be taken out of service daily to allow completion of critical works on the dam wall resulting in reduced generation levels and load curtailment,” read the statement.
The rehabilitation on the dam wall involves two processes which are renovating flood gates and reshaping the plunge pool downstream.
The plunge pool was largely coursed by erosion of the old river bed from water flowing through the floodgates.
ZESA said the expected completion date of the rehabilitation January 25, 2022.
Stakeholders will be notified on the progress in due course.
Recently ZESA pushed up electricity tariffs by 12,3 percent with effect from January 1,2022 resulting in stakeholders on prepaid metres buying 200 units a month which is $1 265.11including the six percent rural electrification levy.
There was only a slight change from $1 127 which consumers were paying before. There are five bands of discounted tariffs before the full $14.31 a unit comes into effect on all purchases over 400 units.
“Consumers are urged to use available power sparingly to minimize effects of curtailment,” read the statement.
Load shedding has become a common in the country despite the power authority promising to create more hydro-power generation stations in large water dams like Tugwi-Mukosi in Chivi South.
