Page 10 - AfrElec Week 50 2022

AfrElec POLICY AfrElec

Zimbabwean president

says energy crisis due to

‘phenomenal’ economic growth

ZIMBABWE ZIMBABWE’S President Emmerson Mnan- However, days later Mnangagwa’s govern-
gagwa has claimed that an electricity shortage ment announced it could produce 300 MW, not
being experienced in the country is caused by the 600 MW it was producing ahead of the ZRA
rising demand amid “phenomenal” economic statement.
growth under his leadership. As at 6:26pm on Wednesday, December 14,
Writing in his weekly column in state-owned Zimbabwe was producing 537 MW, against aver-
The Sunday Mail on December 11, he also age demand of 1,800 MW. Kariba was generating
pledged to end the crisis in 2023. 171 MW while a coal-fired plant at Hwange, west
“I would be dishonest to create an impres- of the country, was turning out 366 MW.
sion that the year 2022 has been without its It was unclear how much electricity the coun-
challenges,” he wrote as cited by an independ- try was importing from its neighbours, Zambia,
ent publication, New Zimbabwe on Wednesday, Mozambique and South Africa, with which it
December 14. has long-term power purchase contracts. As a
“It delivered a few headaches whose reso- result of the shortage, some areas now go for up
lution we continue to work towards. One such to three days without electricity.
challenge is that of energy and power. The irony Douglas Mwonzora, the Opposition Move-
of it all is that this challenge has been bred by our ment for Democratic Change leader, blamed
phenomenal success in growing our economy Mnangagwa’s government for the power crisis.
and in attracting new investments. “We have no one to blame for the crisis save
“The rapid growth and expansion in both for the [ruling] ZANU-PF [Zimbabwe African
mining and industry, coupled with new invest- National Union – Patriotic Front] government
ment projects across sectors, has increased which has clearly failed to avert this crisis in
demand for power, created a clear mismatch many ways.”
between power generation and supply on the ZAPU, another opposition party, also blamed
one hand, and power demand and distribution the ruling party, in power since independence
on the other.” from Britain in 1980. “This crisis is a result of
In late November 2022, the Zambezi River ZANU-PF incompetence and corruption span-
Authority (ZRA), which manages a lake on ning 42 years since independence,” it said in a
which Zimbabwe and Zambia have separate release cited by New Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
facilities with the capacity to generate 2,000 MW, “Everyone who has been ZANU-PF during
told the former to immediately stop producing this period is complicit and directly responsible
power, saying it had exhausted its yearly quota. A for this crisis by commission and omission.”™
drought has resulted in a low lake level at Kariba,
the entity said; hence the order.

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 50 14•December•2022