Zesa fights to keep lights on

ZESA announced yesterday that it had acquired new transformers and vehicles worth US$18 million, as the power utility battles to keep the lights on in the country.

This comes as the country is reeling from worsening power cuts due to antiquated equipment and reduced imports, mainly from South Africa. Energy and Power Development minister Zhemu Soda said the transformers and vehicles would be used to rehabilitate the country's electricity infrastructure.

"At the moment, ZETDC (the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, a Zesa subsidiary) requires about 4 500 distribution transformers of different capacities.

"These are meant to address transformer losses due to vandalism (1 800), and the remainder are required for new connections where 30 000 customers are targeted in 2021.

"The investment in network infrastructure rehabilitation is necessary to meet demand from the anticipated increase in capacity utilisation of industry, new customer connections, as well as the overall economic turnaround bolstered by the new political dispensation in Zimbabwe," Soda said as he commissioned 26 vehicles, 10 lorries and 185 transformers.

He also revealed that of ZETDC's fleet requirement of 1 654 vehicles, only 650 of them were in service - creating a shortfall of 1 004 vehicles.

"I am aware that such a transport shortfall is severely impacting the ability of the power utility to efficiently respond to customer needs and expectations countrywide, hence the procurement of operational vehicles has come at an opportune time.

"It is also imperative for me to say that the vehicles delivered this year are part of a fleet complement of 254 that were tendered for in 2016, with only 47 having been delivered last year as suppliers cited shortages of foreign currency for their failure to deliver on time and meet their side of the bargain," he said.

This comes as Zesa has been losing at least US$2 million a year to vandals - prompting ZETDC to spend US$13,5 million on high-tech equipment to curb the destruction of its infrastructure, including transformers.

In a report tabled in the National Assembly earlier this year, deputy Energy minister Magna Mudyiwa said ZETDC would install intruder detection systems in phases. "ZETDC has resolved to install intruder detection systems on approximately 27 000 distribution transformers nationwide, at an approximate cost of US$13,5 million.

"But due to financial limitations, this will be done in a phased manner. About 80 transformers have been installed as a pilot project. Contracts are now in place to install 8 000 sites this year. "Vandalism of distribution transformers and conductors has been on the rise during the past five years. This has resulted in losses of about US$2 million per year," Mudyiwa said then.