Opinion / Columnist
Residents should heed President Mnangagwa's call
29 Mar 2018 at 12:11hrs | Views
Both commercial and domestic users of electricity owing the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) large amounts of money should heed President Emmerson Mnangagwa's call to pay for electricity bills in order for the power utility company to improve its power generation and distribution.
Whilst commissioning a $533 million Kariba South Hydro Power Station project on 28 March 2018, President Mnangagwa said that ZESA was owed over $500 million.
Surely, for a nation to owe over $500 million to a power utility company is a major drawback in terms of economic development. If the value of expanding Units 7 and 8 of Kariba South power station is $533 million then the electricity debt being owed to ZESA by its clients is as well enough to fund a similar project of expanding additional units without any foreign investment partner. All electricity users who are in arrears should make serious considerations and clear their bills.
It is pleasing that expansion of the two units is already adding 300 MW to the national grid, a situation which will lessen the electricity import bill. The nation has been importing 350 MW from neighbouring countries-South Africa and Mozambique and this has been costing ZESA a lot, such that it would also owe Eskom and Hydroelectric de Cahora Bassa (HCB) millions of dollars.
In efforts to help clients to pay up their electricity bill, ZESA has been engaging its clients to make payment plans that are convenient to them. Among other measures, the utility power company introduced and installed pre-paid meters for most of its clients to help them clear their bills.
ZESA's initiative was welcomed by many people since the measure could benefit both the consumer and the producer of the power. For instance, the users would benefit in the sense that they use the exact electricity they would have paid for rather than being estimated on the electricity they would not have used. Normally being estimated is much more expensive than pre-payment. Whilst on the other hand, ZESA will collect 50% of what the client owes it in every payment they would have made. Thus, this measure will enable the consumer and the power utility company to meet half way in both settling the bills and supplying power.
Since electricity is a key economic enabler, other private players in that sector should be encouraged to complement Government's efforts of supplying sufficient power to the nation. Thus, the private players should make efforts to engage the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate so that it identifies small dams which are not being utilised and construct mini hydro electricity power station.
Such projects will improve the local power generation and distribution as well as creating employment opportunities for the indigenous Zimbabweans.
Whilst commissioning a $533 million Kariba South Hydro Power Station project on 28 March 2018, President Mnangagwa said that ZESA was owed over $500 million.
Surely, for a nation to owe over $500 million to a power utility company is a major drawback in terms of economic development. If the value of expanding Units 7 and 8 of Kariba South power station is $533 million then the electricity debt being owed to ZESA by its clients is as well enough to fund a similar project of expanding additional units without any foreign investment partner. All electricity users who are in arrears should make serious considerations and clear their bills.
It is pleasing that expansion of the two units is already adding 300 MW to the national grid, a situation which will lessen the electricity import bill. The nation has been importing 350 MW from neighbouring countries-South Africa and Mozambique and this has been costing ZESA a lot, such that it would also owe Eskom and Hydroelectric de Cahora Bassa (HCB) millions of dollars.
ZESA's initiative was welcomed by many people since the measure could benefit both the consumer and the producer of the power. For instance, the users would benefit in the sense that they use the exact electricity they would have paid for rather than being estimated on the electricity they would not have used. Normally being estimated is much more expensive than pre-payment. Whilst on the other hand, ZESA will collect 50% of what the client owes it in every payment they would have made. Thus, this measure will enable the consumer and the power utility company to meet half way in both settling the bills and supplying power.
Since electricity is a key economic enabler, other private players in that sector should be encouraged to complement Government's efforts of supplying sufficient power to the nation. Thus, the private players should make efforts to engage the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate so that it identifies small dams which are not being utilised and construct mini hydro electricity power station.
Such projects will improve the local power generation and distribution as well as creating employment opportunities for the indigenous Zimbabweans.
Source - Chido Chikuni
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