Power utility Zesa Holdings (Zesa) is set to import electricity from Zambian company, Lunsenfwa from August to address power shortages in the country.
Speaking during a tour of the Kariba Hydropower Station on Friday, Zesa spokesperson, Fullard Gwasira said Lunsenfwa was a private public partnership arrangement and Zimbabwe was targeting to import up to 100MW from Zambia this year.
“Zimbabwe will import an initial 56MW from Lunsenfwa from Zambia as of August 1, but will add 20MW until it ramps up to 100MW, as some of the mitigation measures to ensure availability of electricity in the country,” he said.
Gwasira said presently the government was spending $6,5 million monthly on power imports from South Africa’s power utility Eskom.
Zimbabwe is importing 300MW of electricity from South Africa’s power utility Eskom and another 40MW from Mozambique.
The country generates about 1 300MW against a demand of 2 200MW.
Presently the Kariba power station is generating 285MW instead of 750MW due to low water levels.
Zesa also generates power at Hwange, Kariba and three smaller thermal stations in Harare, Munyati and Bulawayo.
And you thought you are going through hard times in Zambia just go across the border and ask Zimbabweans…it’s rough
Anyway
2016 vote PF ( Edgar )
I thank you
i have never heard of a country which so much hated by its own government like Zambia ,,,,,,,,the little power you have is being solid so that you have complete darkness and bussines are dying as a result!!!!!!! damn!!! and selling to Zimbabwe who have no money, you had to sign a loan for them for the repair of Kariba dam wall!! cant believe some reasoning
This typifies PF failure to run the economy. They import very expensive power from offshore Mozambique but let a Zambian power company export (probably cheaper) power to Zimbabwe. How stoopid is that???
#ChagwaMustFall
ChagwaMustFall; Zambia forward
@1.2
Tell us how much per kWh from the shop and at how much per kWh to be exported. If you know the figures then I can support you but for now you are just farting for your fellow upnd to sniff
Why are we jump-starting our country with a ship in Mozambique when we have enough power to even export to Zimbabwe? I don’t understand PF anymore……
The hard times in part are due to Mungabe and you want that imported into Zambia by another PF. Get a life and start living
You chaps you can’t surely read the article with your own eyes! The exporting of power is set for August, 2016 and not 2015.
Who cares about Zimbabwe, anyway? I know this sounds harsh to our neighbours, but who cares? Zimbabwe is going through self-inflicted woes. That dictator, Mugabe has been tolerated for way too long. And what does Zambia and that hypocrite China do? They keep resuscitating the evil dictator, Robert Mugabe. Mugabe kicked out all the white Farmers and other white investors from Zimbabwe. And what did those “foolish” Zimbabweans do? They voted him back into power.
If I were the Zambian President, Zimbabwe was not going to see a single grain of corn. It was gonna be the last country to trade with if at all. I would rather sell products to countries like Malawi, Angola, Mozambique and others. In fact, there is no corn to sell to these countries. We need it for our people. And why give…
Will load shedding have ended in Zambia by August?
Are we going to have sufficient power for our domestic use to start exporting to zim?
In this case we have to plead with our co-President Mugabe to let Zambians keep their power. Clearly Lungu and his minions are too drunk in State House to notice how the power crisis has ground Zambia to a halt. Zambia is a failed state.
#ChagwaMustFall
Load shedding will be WORSE in August. But Lungu and his PF have made this agreement because they think they will still be in Government then.
And they need more money to STEAL!
That Kariba’s high water levels will be used to generate electricity for Zimbabwe & when water levels drop down again, we will be back to square one.
PF is not a mean party like UPND. When we don’t have we share. This is genuine love
Shame that PF is not sharing with Zambians and instead selling Zambians share to foreigners
Why export power to Zimbabwe when our load shedding is the worst in the region.We need that power more than anyone else.Perhaps Lungu’s government is so broke that selling power to ZESCO/Govt will result in huge unpaid bills. GRZ owes all the water utilities and ZAMTEL.
People Lunsenfwa is a Private for profit company, They will sell power to the highest bidder, or anyone who wants their power, Maybe Zesco is not paying them or even worse wants t get the power free
Why not pay a Zambian owned company a fair price for its electricity. PF is willing to be gouged by a Turkish power outfit generating from a ship anchored in Mozambique. That cannot be cheaper than Lunsemfwa is asking for.
#ChagwaMustFall
Betters. Admittedly, Lunsemfwa is a private compny but does it have the power distribution network to transport power to Zimbabwe or it will use the govt owned Zesco network to carry the power to Zimbabwe? If Lunsemfwa is that selfish, let them use their own network instead of using the ZESCO network which govt owned and govt is you and me. It is very illogical for Lunsemfwa and govt to look at the interest of Zimbabwe before Zambia’s first. Companies here are closing because of power deficit (people losing jobs) and yet govt is happy to help Zimbabwe grow its economy at Zambia’s expense.
flag Mambala;;
the grid you are talking about makes part of the southern Africa power pool, about anyone can transport power through it even yourself , just like fuel can pass through our roads to Zimbabwe from Tanzania even if there is a shortage here.
You have to know that Ministry of Energy has alot of secrets, around energy procurement including crude oil maybe they rejected to buy power from Lusenfwa opting the Turkey one. with commission paid to powers that be
This clearly shows how Zambia is run by dunderheads. Zesco should be buying all the electrical power produced in Zambia as part of ensuring that there are no powercuts in Zambia. No power should be exported as long as there are powercuts in Zambia. That must be a state policy. Zambia is in a power crisis, in case Lungu and his bunch of PFools have not noticed. If necessary, Zesco should pay the same price that Zimbabwe is willing to buy this power at. Trust me, it cannot be as expensive as power from a Turkish ship anchored offshore in Mozambique.
chimbwi no plan at work u liv yo home wth no electricity elo ekkapase banebber lungu must go
I guess bob will arrive again 5 days before election results had been anounced to congratulate chagwa like he did last time…I wonder how many suitcases full of papers he will travel with this time……………………………………………………………………………
#CHAGWA MUST FALL. #LUNGU AYENDE.
“Gwasira said presently the government was spending $6,5 million monthly on power imports from South Africa’s power utility Eskom. Zimbabwe is importing 300MW of electricity from South Africa’s power utility Eskom”
Zambia is importing 100MW from a power ship docked in Mozambique at $25m per month.
The Zambian govt is not importing power from the ship docked in Mozambique and it is a pity that the article about the Turkish ship docked in Mozambique has misled many to think it is generating power for Zambia. The electricity sold to Zambia will be generated by the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric plant in Tete province, closer to the Zambian border, while the ‘powership’ output will supply Mozambique’s northern grid, in particular the cities of Nacala and Nampula.
@observer, if this Turkish ship was not in place, would Zambia then still import this 100MW from Cabora bassa??? Dont get confused. Same as Lunsemfwa is “selling” to Zimbabwe, Zambia is buying from the Turkish ship. Zimbabwe might get from Victoria Falls, and Lunsemfwa will supply the Copperbelt. Its about the energu balance and meters, who is putting in who is getting out, and who pays!!!
At least you are spending $6.5million, us in Zambia are un lucky we are spending $25m per month and actually we paid $40m.
Zambia is so rich and our good Government PF.
How do you sell the last shirt off your back? Do the people around the Lunsefwa power station at least have continuous power supply (do they even have any power at all!!??)? I get quite concerned when I learn of things like this. Don’t tell me technicalities of contracts because that does not show the actual picture of people selling surplus but a greedy administration bent on keeping the status quo come rain or sunshine! Zimbabwe is going through trying times but what do you expect when you have not allowed new ideas to get up onto the stage? Why are African societies so afraid of change? So a 92 year old is still vying for re-election and it is normal, huh!? Ok, that was directly unrelated but it explains further.
They voted for that old tyrant so let Zimbabweans live under him. Our food and electricity should be for Zambians. Zimbabwe would never have given us anything if the roles were reversed. They are arrogant and Mugabe is spending millions on his birthday while his whore Grace stands by him. Let them leave Zambia alone. We owe them nothing.
It is not whether Zimbabwe has power problems like Zambia which is of interest in this report, but as @ Napapa Sana writes, the comparative cost. Who among the two countries is being prudent in resource use. I would not be surprised to read others say Zambia. Is it a case of government money laundering?
Sometime last year we were promised that the 300MW Maamba thermal power plant will be commissioned was it early this year I quite can’t recall but instead there is conspicuous silence on its progress. Let us hope that its lack of progress has nothing to do with the reversal of tariffs. These capitalists are in it to make money and the moment they see that they cant make money the plant can be still born. Barclays, Anglo American they are all the same.
Our govt does not like paying for cheap things because they have so much money to waste. Besides if they run out of money, they are at liberty to simply borrow without justification whatsoever. After they will be out of govt some day and will not be responsible for paying the debts. Here it is clear this PF govt is wasteful and they do not really care about the meager resources the country has. Then you wonder why University students protest, obviously when you see your govt being extravagant you want them to take care of your issues too, I mean they can afford to after all!
Senior Engineer, put up your own plants. But knowing PF, the plants will be run by cadres, hence defeating the whole purpose!
@Baba Mungoni. Reminds me of the great leader Mungoni Liso who was my neighbour in L/stone and died mysteriously under the UNIP regime. Yes, it is like you have read my mind. I have set up a company called “Small Hydro Solutions” hardly a week old to assist people who are fortunate enough to have a water resource on their farms or plots. I have signed a franchise with Powerpal, a Canadian company based in Vietnam to be selling their micro generating equipment in Zambia (less than 100kW). 1kW can be enough for a house. In the UK there is a Feed-in Tarriffs Scheme meant to encourage the uptake of a range of small-scale renewable and low-carbon electricity generation technologies. Not diesel generators! Small hydro is a proven technology that can be connected to the main grid, isolated mini…
The positive is that we increase our exports to balance out imports. We get foreign generated revenue. Our supply is targeted to increase when the numerous power plants start to provide for us. There will be more than enough domestic supply. The climate has created the shortages not exporting power. PF has covered all angles, UPNDers are failing in their negative campaign. They are losing the plot by criticising exports, that’s precisely what we need to be doing.