Thursday, March 28, 2024

President Lungu directs Energy Ministry to expedite importation of power

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President Edgar Lungu has directed the Minister of Energy Mathews Nkhuwa to expedite the importation of electricity in order to cushion the power deficit that the nation is grappling with.

President Lungu said it is anticipated that the imported electricity will boost supply not only among the farming communities but other sectors of the economy.

The head of state has also directed Zesco limited to complement hydropower with solar power by mid next year so that load shedding becomes the thing of the past.

President Lungu was speaking this in Lusaka yesterday when he officiated at the 114th Zambia National Farmers Union Annual Congress.

President Lungu underscored that government is motivated by efforts being made by farmers in agricultural diversification.

“My government is encouraged to hear that farmers are making efforts to diversify the agricultural sector. Venturing into new commodities is one sure way of sustainable farming. There is an urgent need for us to actualize our pronouncements not only in the agricultural sector but other sectors of our economy. My government will remain steadfast in delivering development in the country’s urban and rural areas,” stressed President Lungu.

He affirmed that the government has embarked on the infrastructure program where unprecedented road development has been laid out across the country.

President Lungu explained that with a good road network in urban and rural areas, will result in the agricultural sector growth because agro produce will easily be transported to various markets.

Speaking earlier, Zambia National Farmers Union President Jervis Zimba hailed the government for having signed a memorandum of understanding with the Democratic Republic of Congo on the exportation of maize.

Mr.Zimba said the MOU will motivate farmers to grow enough maize in the forthcoming agricultural season due to the availed ready market.

He was quick to call on Food Reserve Agency through the Ministry of Agriculture to offset the K39 million owed to farmers who sold maize to the agency in this marketing season.

The 114th Zambia National Farmers Union Annual Congress was held at the Mulungushi conference center in Lusaka under the theme ‘harnessing Agricultural Innovation’.

35 COMMENTS

    • Don’t import…. Not from south Africa. They just start shut-down some power stations and ESKOM has huge debts, they are load shedding too.
      Please read or follow BBC Africa.
      Remember when Dora was briefly Minister of Zesco?? She went to Turkey to import a “ship” loaded with electricity. Plan was to dock that ship in Nacala Mozambique, you remember Ba Edgar even went to that Port?
      Zambia lost alot of money paying to Turkey, maybe even Mozambique. NOTHING was done there after, NO such SHIP excisted.
      Zambia will be screwed again and again.
      Lets just wait for the rains, pray to Nyami Nyami

    • <The most useless, inconsequential and incompetent president in the history of the modern Zambia, who has squandered development time. Gosh.. when will Zambians see the back fo these man of chance?

  1. .. This man is never on grip for anything… Surely agriculture is key engine to most well to do countries and the best he can do is issue loose by the way instructions! Really???are we for real people???what hurts the most is like the man has no advisors, SADC region is in power crisis… Apparently SA the brain of the region is also hit hard with the power issues… And people have hope they can deprive their own just to light up zambia for cooking beans and watching cartoon…even when they know we just not serious…SA is tired of offering help, no wonder the xenophobic issues…people learn to read through the lines…the xeno thing is rooted deep up to top leadership…. Ba SA balisula fellow Bantus and thus wouldn’t sacrifice such for you…..if anything they are even laughing…

  2. .. ….even laughing over our crisis…..so, because we so damn, let’s just wait for the rains and come next year it shall be the same story…. We keep going through the same cycle because we this damn!

  3. Please invest in luapula river.its like we have people in government who don’t think.You can’t be talking about climate change when yoyu have enough water in luapula,kalungwish rivers.Bupuba.God has given you enough water in this country.Northern part is receives enough rains .so why investing huge some of money in southern part wehere it doesnt rain.Bupaba.Please grow enough food in northern part.Empower locals with tractors or tell ZNS to grow enough maize in muchinga,northwestern,luapula and nothern provinces.Its true we have leaders without vision.Atase

  4. Another directive that no one will action, because no one takes this clone serious…. This 1diot is truly the worst president on earth, what a tosser

  5. The question is were are you going to import power from? Do we have people briefing our president on these issues…

  6. Bwana president forget about importation of power. There is no whre to get power from. Plan for last time correctly for next year by ensuring that we haave solar farms installed as tabulated by Mudede and finish kafue gorge lower. The water flow on kafue is reliable coz of ts source and path of flow, collecting rains in copperbelt.
    Energy minister stop thinking of building canals from Congo rather lets construct dam 2 along kafue river to harvest more rains. Congo will may not be a good source of water looking at issues have had on pedicle road.

    for farmers Ba president talk about going solar and encourage them to work in the night when domestic usage is lower.

    Ba president intensify your interaction with communities not your cadres/surrounding u cheating you that all is well yet…

  7. TALK IS CHEAP ! WHERE ARE WE GOING TO IMPORT FROM – FIRST WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY AND SECONDLY ALL SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES HAVE THE OWN PROBLEMS WITH LOW POWER. CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT SOMETHING NEW IT’S BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR THE PAST 8 YEARS- SO WHY HASN’T THE GOVERNMENT INVESTED IN SOLAR POWER FOR GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY ?????????????????????

  8. Familiar stories same results – enhanced power cuts and load shedding!!!!!!
    It seems this story will never be that of the past. It always living with us in future. We have never seen the past in Zambia over load shedding. Load shedding is here to stay peacefully with us unless someone with a vision takes over.
    Disaster!

  9. Our dear President sure… can you give a directive now…. where were you all this time when the decisions to start load sheding, to import power and to increase tarrifs were made. I am tired… I am voting next elections even if I do not vote.

  10. Why issue instructions in the Media? Call the relevant authorities to State House. Sit down and discuss if its feasible to import power, if resources are available and from where? Otherwise, you just put the technocrats under undue pressure. Knowing how the civil service operate, the Minister, I’m sure is already fuming and instructions have already been sent to the PS, even when he knows very well that the entire southern region is undergoing the same situation.

  11. Reading through the Presidential directive to import energy and watching Sunday interview by MD Zesco i have the following observation First the Presidential Directive is to expedite the process but not to import outside the energy act or emergency act thereof and best practice in ERB regulatory provisions

    The reasons why we are here as a country in our Energy sources are well known and to close the immediate supply gaps of almost 2500 MW with increasing demands ,coupled by our Poor Energy Availability Factor requires more creative and innovative ways to complement these efforts current from the utility and its customers
    Its beyond partisan politics and…

  12. should be like a wakeup call for energy revolutions in the IRPS we have and towards pathways that will transition and transform the country into a net exporter and regional power trading hub as strategized to be But it will not happen without a balanced IRP and it therefore calls for collaborative well thought interventions and actions from both the Government, the utility, the customers and the Industry in a long-term approach like the Firth National Development plan to 2030 with technologies and investments well mapped and not like in an emergency that will only resolve the current given the forecasts on hydrology that will impact even next year given the forecast stays

    This energy…

  13. situation posing cannot be addressed either by IDC or Zesco alone but the efforts towards that above 2600 MW additions in reserve margins from Kafue and others is well noticeable but will require a completeness in approach ,an IRP long-term approach beyond 2020 and energy security for the country You can act to resolve the energy and the energy emergency supply act should be observed and serve as a guide
    Yes you may Invest to export but energy security for the country is in the IRP and energy security is of paramount importance even when the market in those ESAP offers above LCOE and not competitive except be subsidised Its good to see the interconnections ,a plus…

  14. and well done, but it should be a pool to those markets of preference like DRC and SA given its long-term vulnerabilities Those regional markets for ESAP in interconnections is focused to Rwanda Uganda ,Tanzania , Kenya, Egypt and to some extent DRC. The power needs for the region will most likely be met from Ethiopia new BUILD Grand “renascence” If you have read critically the GRID MAP developments for Power Pools across APUA These markets are not as sustainable as You can have in SAPP but could be a source of expensive energy (not competitive in supply and wheeling (“in advent energy”) that you can use to arbitrage and make a few cents but even if you exported to them…

  15. those technical losses and the efficiencies of those utilities could impact Power Trading
    Coming to imports of 300 Mw at 0.9cents.It’s no doubt we may need to import but the cost should be renegotiated because it comes at a premium but this is not surprising because the export country is also struggling to add additional capacity to the reserve margins to ensure the local market and residents are satisfied and load shedding is not of that level They value energy security and 300 MW counts in those decisions is not a tariff decision Their EAF is averaging 67.75%,.It’s could also be a counter party risk also to manage and cannot be outsourced
    Even in Energy energy…

  16. energy emergency procurement our energy acts and emergency energy security acts must be tested and our ERB ,the custodian of the interests of the Zambia, must be seen to play its role as a regulator in pricing decisions and tariff setting It should be observed also that the rules of running the system must be adhered to and some degree of reserve capacity is in place to avoid emergency procurements and panic in eventually even in climate periods Its always the case of electricity that supply will outstrip demand at any given point In many countries the electricity sector is transitioning in technologies and generation portfolios towards cheaper and greener sustainable methods…

  17. This is very important and it gives the market and those working in its credibility There are so many pricing decisions or cost recovery methods and the PASS THRU in those .9 cents may not be to the economy of a typical small entrepreneur and household in Zambia The bid and ask spreads must not be so wide in those imports and exports (compared to local baseline ) otherwise it makes sense to play power balancing and demand side management ,sourcing other cheaper sustainable supply methods in coal solar, gas and diesel in the short-term The short term solutions must be within margins of the current tariffs and should avoid throwing the economy into a price spiral I trying to address the…

  18. sorry by trying to address the also loadsheddings that could cripple those investments in sectors invested already

    In a typical competitive electricity market ,utilities will normally compete with like bidders in a bid to maximise profits within market power operating rules. There will be little if any price imbalance or price spikes or price deviations Those import prices of .9 cents must be nearer those in the SAPP DA MA or Year ahead prices per MWh for those committed capacity and energy consumed or actually imported although also those SAPP prices do not reflect efficiencies and global competitive prices per kwh

    Thus said well managed

  19. Just in case they agreed a payment plan and recovery, Eskom is most likely to commit less than 100 Mw of firm committed power for exports to Zambia The rest of 300 Mw will be on “NON FIRM BASIS” and if their system went into critical they will definitely switch off to secure national energy security That is why it makes sense to think strategically and in the long-term to create smart solutions “smart cities “” That proposal of solar panels on reservoirs we have seen it work in “floating power plants” in Japan but with revenue protection for the utility than needs to grow its volumes sold why not work with councils to create smart centres and cities by…

  20. by going roof top also
    Even if Eskom gave you committed capacity of 100Mw and the rest NON FIRM POWER the price must be near in the average unconstrained price of less the 65 USD per MW otherwise it becomes unsustainable and the business case of investing in sustainability technologies becomes sense to save the fragile recovery Zambia economy that must not be disturbed There is a common saying that do not disturb a recovery economy but inducing so many prices taxes and tariffs and this should be seen and balanced with the case to load shed against having some capacity You may not front load customers but make use of climate hedges and funds to…

  21. in those to pass thru procurement methods
    The efforts in those pictures of Edgar Lungu commissioning Bangweulu Solar Farm on Power Africa adding some 200 mw of solar to our installed capacity of 2,800 Mw of which 2400 is hydro (85%) and others at 400 (15%) should be up scaled Yes the investments in other hydro sites should continue and are positive investments that will sustain for long-term

    // 2020

  22. Just look at Chagwa and his friend Nkugwa, are these the kind of chaps who can sort out your power shortages really!

  23. Napthali,
    Your comments are so disjointed and lack any logical intellectual substance, are you Frankenstein. You really are a fuc*ing snop you *****!

  24. Yaa See you in 2020 I missed on the Sunday Interview .I am commenting the Sunday Interview and this request to expedite You are among-st the few

    Most have appreciated I can write for you i will comment to give an idea otherwise i will charge you This is free points for you to See the big picture I refuse to be petty also but actually correct I will not comment further

    //

  25. #26 Njangwamuloty, I think Napthali was cutting pasting excerpts of a subject that is too complex for him to understand. Really what can anyone pick from that gibberish?

  26. He rules by directives, his ministers dare not show that they can think on their own, otherwise out through the door. Alternatively they are appointed as ministers because they cannot think on their own.

  27. Typical African dictator, ‘ sir there is no electricity’ , reply: ‘ import power from anywhere’ . ‘sir there is no money’ reply:’ print some more money’ .

  28. The novel, Frankenstein, highlights the theme of individual responsibility as well as social responsibility. Victor’s ambitious project of the creation of a new life reflects the lack of realization of the individual responsibility and the lack of government control

    “That is the moral of the story and Naphtali is correct the Its a technical review and requires those of us in energy excellence to understand and complement Government efforts and observe short comings.The novel about Frankenstein is as above quoted”

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