Zimbabwe power surge triggers shutdown in Zambia?

Zimbabwe and Zambia were hit by a synchronized nationwide power blackout on Tuesday, following a shutdown initiated by South African power utility Eskom due to a surge in the regional power grid.

The blackout occurred just before 1 PM, with restoration efforts beginning an hour later. Officials warned it could take several hours for power to be fully restored in all affected areas.

According to Eskom sources, the decision to cut off the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) - the regional electricity sharing network - was necessary to prevent "serious infrastructure damage" caused by the surge.

This marks the second national blackout in two weeks for both countries, highlighting vulnerabilities in their energy systems.

Industry insiders attributed the latest surge to failures in Zimbabwe's transmission infrastructure, through which Zambia's ZESCO imports electricity from Eskom and Mozambique's Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM).

"Zambia has been heavily importing power from Mozambique through the SAPP system," explained an industry expert. "Mozambique supplies electricity into Zimbabwe, which then transmits it to Zambia. The over-importation has placed immense strain on Zimbabwe's systems, resulting in an overcurrent."

When the surge was detected, Eskom acted to safeguard the regional grid by shutting down the SAPP system, cutting off supply to Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Both Zimbabwe and Zambia are grappling with diminished hydropower output due to critically low water levels at Lake Kariba, which has severely restricted electricity generation.

The two countries are accelerating energy projects to improve supply, but energy security is not expected for several years.

This latest blackout underscores the fragility of regional energy cooperation and the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades in Zimbabwe and Zambia. While the Southern African Power Pool offers a collaborative approach to mitigating power shortages, the surges reveal its limitations when local systems fail to manage high demand.

As restoration efforts continue, authorities in both countries face increasing pressure to fast-track long-term energy solutions to reduce dependence on imports and strengthen their power grids.