South Africa’s online financial news site fin24.com reports that Eskom said on Friday that Lesotho and Swaziland, with which it has firm power supply agreements, should lower consumption as the power utility attempts to help its regional neighbours offset crippling power shortages.
Eskom has jumped to the rescue of Zimbabwe and Zambia, agreeing to supply both countries with 300 MW each of off-peak power in line with statutes under the Southern African Power Pool. The agreements to supply Zimbabwe and Zambia are under discretionary conditions, the power utility said on Friday.
However, Eskom wants Lesotho and Swaziland to reduce electricity consumption to help South Africa avoid load shedding which could become necessary if the country’s power supply faces constraints. Eskom also has non-firm power supply agreements with Namibia and Botswana.
“Firm supply agreements (Swaziland and Lesotho) continue to be supplied, but they are urged to reduce consumption. However, if rotational load shedding is required in South Africa, they are required to undertake proportional load shedding,” Eskom said.
Eskom has now notched up about five months without power supply disruptions, a luxury its neighbours are unable to afford. Zimbabwe and Zambia are gripped with power shortages that have curtailed mining and industrial productivity.
It added that it has signed a bilateral agreement with Zambia, “which allows us to supply up to 300 MW off-peak and more than 50 MW standard at peak” when demand/supply dynamics permit.
730 miners face retrenchment
The power supply situation in Zambia has been worsening, with Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals – which operates the Kalumbila copper mine – saying on Thursday that it is to lay off about 730 miners because of power utility Zesco’s plans to restrict electricity supplies.
Experts have urged southern African countries to prioritise investment in the private power producer sector. Zimbabwe’s government has disclosed plans to raise electricity tariffs by 49% to cover production costs.
[fin24.com]
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, honestly can electricity be such a problem you guys? Just ask Zambia’s “economic manager” , our very own and only HH a.k.a. underfive. He has an immediate solution for all problems, applying his well tested and proven political formula. Ask him today and tomorrow all load shedding will end, try him, you will not be disappointed. The only condition is that you must make him president of your countries, I mean discard all those Zumas, Mugabes, and Lungus and you shall have lights every minute 24/7………that is the only way to make his magic work………..kikikikikikiki
Yes we will make HH president and we are proud of his achievements
Viva HH the real Zambian president
Did you even read this artical to the end you kid, stupidity will never end in Zambia
Let me summarize for you,
SAMMY
South Africa has enjoyed 5 months without load shedding despite having power supply agreements with Lesotho Swaziland and Namibia, Now that Zambia went begging for power from South Africa, its not asking Swaziland to reduce its consumption. so that countries with insane governments (Zimbabwe and Zambia can be given 300 mw from south Africa ) No were in the artical is showing SA struggling, but the Countries around SA are begging too much, Its adding stress on the south Africa power system.
@terrible, yaba some people can be crazy.
Betters, is it not Zambia and later Zimbabwe, that saved South Africans from their Slave masters??
Maybe they can now pay back in kind. They can never be superior to Zambia and Zim, because we paid for their freedom.
Petroleum is cheaper now. Might be a wise move to import diesel as well for home/domestic supply and dedicate the stable power from Eskom and Zesco to the Mines in order to save jobs.
South Africa is suffering from myopia and envy. Despite Botswana asking for guaranteed off take by South Africa from Botswana’s proposed Mmamabula 1200MW power project, South Africa refused because of envy and said that their own Medupi project would be enough. They then failed to properly project manage Medupi. Now we are all stuck because of South Africa’s xenophobia even in power projects.
True that. Zuma is the worst President in this region. He uses xenophobia against his neighbours because he can’t fight White Power in SA, they may leave(!). He can only create wealth for his SA blacks by keeping down/out neighbouring black countries, not fighting for more economic power from a Whites.
Your stoopidity knows no bounds! What has this got to do with HH? And even your professed leaders have failed to predict the growth in power needs. The common thread between Zuma, Mugabe and Lungu is lack of integrity, hardwork and vision. Zuma spends all his time on his 5 wives and Nkandla and cannot even spend enough time to appointing his Finance Minister. Mugabe is being managed by his young wife, Grace, while Lungu is under the spell of alcohol. You can choose to be stuck with your stoopid choices or try someone different.
Well, buck tooth, there really is NO evidence HH will do any better in this climate. Forget about it. HE Lungu is doing very well, demonstrating Firefighting Skills rather than insulting opposition leaders and causing trouble among the citizenry.
You increase electricity from K2000 to K11000, are you normal.where do yo think money will come from when you switch off power for 8 hours ,business has come to a virtual stand still.you people have no heart,you are devious Fine Iam closing down the business and rendering 17 people jobless . Zambia has really gone to the dogs
And yet chi ‘Patriot Abroad’ is praising the drunkard Lungu, no wonder you are abroad cleaning their toilets – shame on you ‘chi Patriot Abroad’!!!
When Aliko Dangote set up the cement factory in Ndola he also set up a coal thermal utility to generate and supply power to the plant.
The 30 MW produced is in excess of the 20 MW required with this 10 MW given to the local community.
Zambia has potential to produce 2200 MW electricity of which 2/3 of this goes to the mines.
The mines should be asked to plan and invest in their own power supply with incentives to export excess supply.
Similarly the mines should be required to set up their own joint railway systems to export their copper as wear and tear of Zambian roads can mainly be blamed to these truckloads of copper.
Why should the Zambian tax payer continue subsidising these conglomerates?
Then they threaten to leave at the sign of any economic downturns!
Well said!
i agree they should at least subsided rail and power developement
look at Maamba colliers they own a coal mine and decide to create a 300mw which is being contracted to supply electricity to its own mining operations and mines in the north
A cement factory and a mine are two different things…FQM is doing exactly that by pulling from Botswana but you will lose out!!
Agreed. They have been asked to produce their own power.
@Nunda Makweti, you are a man keep it up with those positive comments.
What he is actually saying is that the people that are responsible for these services have FAILED MISERABLY!
Next he will be suggesting that the mines take over the police and the army because these have also failed.
These public services must be properly managed. Then they will work for Zambians. Which is where Lungu and his PF have failed lamentably.
Jacko or Jackal.
Are we discussing the same topic here?
Were you smoking Tulya Bayuni?
@ Nunda.Sharp!!
Really laughable you use the term help as if ESKOM will be supplying it free at off-peak..its clearly evident now that Zambia and Zimbabwe were reckless with managing Kariba.
It’s the rains @ a Jay Jay!!
Where’s thickneck Chimbwili’s globo now. SA are overcoming their loadshedding while we are waiting for God to provide rains & USA/UK to start solar plants. Kadansa’s flip flop in the recent tariff adjustments have pushed back meaningful development in the energy sector another 5 years. That’s why we need serious leaders who won’t be informed by narrow selfish interests.
agree those power tarrifs have to go up the reason sa reduce its load is because they increased tarrifs making it viable for private companies to invest in electricity plants everyone one in the electricity sector is shocked Lungu reduced the tarrifs ….those tariffs will be back soon unless you enjoy eating you nsima in the dark
UPND suporters the only thing they know is criticizing and believe that they will come out smart. If HH didnt come up with ideas of selling our companies these problems wouldnt have been there. Who doesnt know that PF is building and expanding HEP stations?
Zambia stopped investing becoz of HH policies of selling companies. If HH and his partner chiluba didnt bring the ideas of selling our companies how many HEPs and milling plants was this nation going to have? We are not as stupid as you think to bring HH closer to Zamtel and ZR again
In moscow things are happening, awe sure.
Total incompetency by Zambian government not to build reliable national generator and grid, so is the failure of the government not to build series of generating stations for the past 24 years. Full of nothing, just giving excuses from time to time. The government cannot even have enough courage to apologize to its people for lying that the republic of South Africa was also experiencing load shedding as Zambia because of low rainfall in the region. The shameless Hon, Kambwili and Hon. Yaluma and ZESCO CEO who know that 89%of power in South Africa is driven by coal – steam generation, 4.7% hydro and the rest different types of generation. How long are we going to be governed by people who have no integrity? By lying it doesn’t help to find right solutions.
But us it not true that people are also complaining about the Debts to date on Road infrastructure? One thing at a time in terms of borrowing surely.