Page 17 - AfrElec Week 45 2022
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AfrElec HYDRO AfrElec
Zambia will not suffer
electricity cuts despite low
water levels
ZAMBIA ZAMBIA’S electricity utility ZESCO has ruled Kafue Gorge, will be fully operational this month
out power cuts despite drought leading to a low (November), contributing 750MW to the grid.
water level at Lake Kariba, the site of a hydro He added that the utility is ready to handle
facility that generates about 1,050MW for the the anticipated higher demand to be triggered
country. by a government plan to expand copper produc-
The assurance by ZESCO board chairman tion from around 0.8mn tonnes annually to 3mn
Vickson N’cube, according to Lusaka Times on tonnes over the next 10 years.
Thursday (November 3), came days after the The water level at Kariba is low this year
Zambezi River Authority, which manages the because of a drought that affected many south-
dam on behalf of Zambia and Zimbabwe, said ern African countries. However, meteorologists
the lake level had dropped to 10.9% of usable from the region, in a release at the end of their
water, compared to 34.1% in 2021. annual August conference, forecast a normal to
Zambia and Zimbabwe have units on either above normal rainy season for southern Africa
side of the dam, which generate a total of over the November 2022 to March 2023 wet
2,100MW evenly split between the neighbours. season.
N’cube told Phoenix FM, a local radio station, Zimbabwe was producing 489MW at Kar-
as cited by Lusaka Times, that Zambia no longer iba by 1pm on Friday (November 4), against the
relies on the dam alone as another hydro plant, at plant’s nameplate capacity of about 1,050MW.
Week 45 09•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P17
