Govt calls for innovative ways to harness Zambezi water

The Zimbabwean and Zambian governments have underscored the need for innovative strategies to harness the waters of the Zambezi River to mitigate the risks of water shortages and enhance climate resilience in the face of persistent droughts affecting power generation.

Speaking during a joint press briefing following bilateral talks in Harare, Zimbabwe's Minister of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo, said both countries must adopt new methods of managing the Zambezi's water resources beyond traditional reservoir systems.

"There must be alternatives to big reservoirs, but still achieving our need to have power, which is ideal," Moyo said.

He explained that Zimbabwe and Zambia were exploring ways to integrate climate-proofing measures into water and energy management, including encouraging the private sector - particularly mining and value addition industries - to develop their own captive power generation systems.

"As long as they are discussing with our utilities for twinning agreements, in some cases, power purchase agreements, they will do their captive power, and a lot of them may access power," Moyo noted.
"In the mining sector, our countries are pushing for value addition. Value addition means increased usage of electricity and other forms of energy, including fossil fuels, which are a necessity."

Moyo also revealed that Zimbabwe and Zambia had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate private sector participation in the implementation of the Zimbabwe–Zambia fuel and gas pipeline project, a move aimed at boosting regional cooperation in the fossil fuel sector.

"This needs us to put our heads together and operationalise it as our governments expect that this relationship will increase our co-operation in the field of fossil fuels and gas. In the case of Zimbabwe, it is clear that our Muzarabani gas fuels are now well confirmed as resources that need to be utilised," Moyo said.

His Zambian counterpart, Minister Makozo Chikote, acknowledged that both nations were facing a severe power deficit caused by climate change, and called for accelerated investment in alternative energy projects to ensure universal electricity access.

"By 2030, we need to make sure that there is universal access to electricity by putting measures in place, expediting the implementation of many projects so that our people will be able to access this electricity. That is how we can discourage even deforestation," Chikote said.

He stressed that energy security was vital for economic growth, particularly in mining and agriculture, two sectors heavily dependent on electricity.

"We are carrying a heavy mandate that will see our two countries grow their economies. We cannot talk about increasing production in the mines if we do not have sufficient power. We will no longer depend on rain-fed agriculture; we have to use irrigation," Chikote added.

The latest discussions mark a significant step in deepening energy cooperation between Zimbabwe and Zambia, as both countries move to diversify their power sources, strengthen climate adaptation, and reduce dependence on hydroelectric power from the drought-stricken Kariba Dam.