More load shedding beckons

A sharp drop in water levels at Kariba Dam could result in Kariba Dam being decommissioned for the first time since it was built in the late 1950s.

Zimbabwe used to draw about 750MW of electricity from Kariba South Power Station, but this has been slashed to about 450MW as of last week, owing to low water levels at Kariba Dam.

The Zambezi River Authority has reduced water allocation for power generation from 45 billion cubic litres per annum to 33 billion cubic litres.

Zesa Holdings has since introduced a punishing load shedding schedule with some areas going for 24 hours without electricity.

The power utility is now producing 600MW against national demand of about 1600MW.