Chairman of the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) George Chabwera has said his institution will soon undertake a countrywide tour of the provinces in order to receive views for or against the review of the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) tariffs.
Dr. Chabwera said ERB will also embark on a number of measures to meet challenges in the energy sector in a more proactive manner.
He was speaking today during a press briefing held at the ERB offices in Lusaka.
He said among the measures the institution has embarked on was the issue of load shading.
Dr. Chabwera said the board has established that Zambia has a shortage of electricity of about 2,000 mega watts.
He said the board has since recommended that there should be intervention in the matter adding that ERB was awaiting government response.
Dr. Chabwera also noted that the issue of contaminated fuel was serious.
He further said the board was concerned that government was losing huge sums of money as a result of this state of affairs.
He added that the board has further recommended the marking of petroleum products in order to arrest this vice and improve exchanger collections from petroleum.
Dr. Chabwera also said there were a number of reasons that contribute to the high prices of petroleum products.
He said these factors include taxation, transportation, refining and mark up.
He explained that Zambia’s refinery cannot process pure crude oil while the obsolete pipeline contributes to high product losses in transit.
And Dr. Chabwera has also disclosed that the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development have instructed the board to design rural petrol stations in the country.
He said the ERB shall liaise with the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) to market these opportunities in areas that do not have service stations especially the new district centres.
He encouraged people to venture into the energy sector including owning and running petrol stations
ZANIS
DEAR DR. CHABWERA, IT IS A WELL KNOWN FACT THAT ZESCO’S BILLS WE PAY PAY ARE FAR FROM BEING ECONOMICAL. GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO SUBSIDIZE US. AT THE SAME TIME, YOU WANT TO PLEASE POLITICIANS WHO APPOINTED YOU BY BUYING TIME TO GET CONSUMER’S VIEWS WHEN THEY KNOW THAT YOU WILL AT THE END OF THE DAY INCREASE ZESCO TARRIFS.
TO JUSTIFY LOW TARRIFS, WHICH YOU ARE BENT ON INCREASING, DEFORESTATION HAS BEEN REDUCED OR SUSTAINED, THEREBY ZAMBIA CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY AND SIGNIFICANTLY TO GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
THEREFORE INSTEAD OF CHEATING THE PUBLIC THROUGH A CONSULTATIVE PROCESS, LOOK AT SUBSTITUTE SOURCES OF POWER (I.E. SOLAR), LET PEOPLE USE THESE SUBSTITUTES AND THEN EXPORT THE POWER THEY WERE USING AT TARIFFS ACCEPTABLE TO THE REGION (HIGHER THAN WHAT ZAMBIANS CAN AFFORD TO…
Atleast load-shedding has reduced mweeee, but increasing malaiti is non starter!!!!
we voted pf into power on the premise, among others, that, electricity tariffs will be lowered to affordable rates thus ensuring a common man has more money in the pocket. now dr. whatever, what is this window dressing you are subjecting us to, all about? 2016 is just round the corner. do not try us.
that Sitali chap must be fired. this ERB is just a rubber stamp for electricity tariffs.