Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa says power imports from ESKOM of South Africa will start before the end of the week.
Mr. Nkhuwa says the 3- hundred Mega Watts is anticipated to reduce about two hours of load shedding.
The Minister has also dispelled social media reports that ZESCO Management was planning to shut down the turbines to stop power generating.
Mr. Nkhuwa says if there was any need to do so the public would have been informed.
And Mr. Nkhuwa clarified that the cost of the imported power will not be passed to consumers.
He however explained that government is working towards moving to cost reflective tariffs.
Mr. Nkhuwa also says ten million dollars has been paid to Maamba collieries to clear the twenty million kwacha owed.
He explained that the generation did not stop because of the money that ZESCO is owing but because of a fault at the plant.
Mr. Nkhuwa was speaking in an interview shortly after he toured TAZAMA Lusaka Fuel Depot to check on operations after the protest by truck drivers last week.
Meanwhile, Lusaka Fuel Depot Acting Depot Superintendent Moses Chipulu said operations are back and trucks are loading normally.
Only reduction of insignificant 2 hours and all the noise sure. 2 hours only! Kwena and all the money – kikiki!
Can we listen to this man before another comes to say something else.
Listen to this: “He explained that the generation did not stop because of the money that ZESCO is owing but because of a fault at the plant.” When are we going to take leave of such stories? Faults can be worked on if company is paid in time and plan for themselves.
Disaster!!!!
Its game over for PF bandits….Lungu,Kaizer,Mwale,Nkhuwa,Lusambo,mumbi,Sikazwe,Chitotela,Kampyongo,Kapata,Luo,Mwanakatwe,Siliya etc start preparing for Jail….
I had never wanted to vote for HH, but I think I have no choice but to go for him
We told you that there is something smelly about this deal.
Just know that there is no transaction by this PF without kickbacks.
So instead of the 15 hours of load shedding, citizens will endure 13 hours.
“Well done PF for being the party for the people….”, I can hear the PF thieves patting each other on their backs.
“HH will Himport HaHIPPO and Zambia will be fine!” HaGAYJAY.
You are right RudeMonk. Its difficult to tell who is telling the truth in PF. Anyone can say anything at any given time.
You are right its a disaster to have such people in power. Turn coats from all corners!!!!
Please Zambia let us export the the CHILD to Panama.
Reduce 2 hours of load shedding………..and you’re so proud of yourselves for that achievement wow, is this a milestone or a stepping stone. Your wish our wish should be no load shedding at all and have policies or measures in place that will give us a lasting if not permanent solution. We are like seating ducks, we don’t know whether we coming or going. “Give us a good bone to chew with”
The problem with you, you think it’s simple and if your great leader comes into power he will just wave a magic wand and, lo! , everything falls into place. Sata worshippers also think like that. That’s the problem with cult politics.
Zambia under PF bandits is a doomed country no wonder GBM is quite because he has just realised that he rejoined a sinking boat and chances of UPND forming government are now very high….this Will be a repeat of 1991 general elections….Kaunda was being told lies til the last day….it was too late Chiluba was in the State House already….Lungu is now only supported by fellow easterners….Zulu,Nkhuwa,Mwale etc….even bootlicker number 1 Lusambo has already sensed defeat
Two hours of load shedding is a start. We cant have electricity the way we all want to, but every journey begins with one step. Let us support the Government to change the current state of the power deficit rather than point fingers like it will change anything.
So you paid $27 million for a 2 hours reduction of loadshedding? We used to get the same 300MW from maamba collieries which you’re importing from Eskom. How much was our monthly bill? Knowing pf robbers this is another inflated procurement.
Give electricity to those that are up to date with payments. We are tired if carrying baggage. Electricity us not a right, it is a privilege that has to be paid for. There will always be poor, pathetically struggling. Don’t let them drag us down.
Danielle, this same government spent over one year negotiating for “cheap” oil from Saudi Arabia.
After several high-level delegation trips to Saudi, this corrupt government announced that a deal had been struck, and you could see them patting each other on their backs, fully satisfied with their “achievement”.
Of course we soon found out that the oil they bought was meant to last for 6 days only.
This PF is very short term sighted.
When load-shedding started in May, it lasted for 4 hours and we are told that the power deficit was 400 Megawatts. The current deficit stands at 842 megawatts and power goes off for up to 16 hours. If the country will import 300 megawatts the deficit reduces to 542 and if Maamba is supposed to be back online, the deficit further reduces by 150 to 392 megawatts. Why then should load-shedding still last for upto 13 hours. At a deficit of 400 Megawatts back in May, power was shut off for 4 hours. With the importation of power and Maamba fully operational the deficit will be cut to 392, while should power be shut off for 12 hours. What has changed in 6 months. The Minister and Zesco owe the people a detailed explanation.
Can some pf cadre counter these “LIES” with his “TRUTH”. you can’t fool the people all the time, people can do calculations baba, this is not 2011 baba, were more money in your pocket promises swayed people to vote blindly.
You speaketh the truth.
You are truly a calculator boy.
I feel like listening to the late father ntalasha’s popular song kachema sobweshe impanga.
Kachema sobweshe impanga, soshipele amanshi namulenfwe usuma, wileka shiye ichiyeye.
Calculator boys united.
Zambia should have midterm elections after 3years to assess the performance of the incumbent and to stop grand scale theft. Yes let’s spend the money to protect against wastage and economic looting. How much more suffering can a government subject it’s people? All the milestones achieved by this country will count to nothing without power. Where are the so-called engineers?PF you inherited an economy in surplus and your track record so far is one of destruction, you will not be forgiven by the Zambian people for this.
My comment is awaiting moderation.
If loadshedding hours could be reduced by half with these huge funds it could have made a lot of sense.It is even better to invest that $27m in a solar plant. And knowing this government someone must be fattening their pockets over this power importation .Fellow Zambians how could we do this to ourselves by voting for this party?
Because we are stupid *****s!!
YOU are st.up!d …not We… iwe mambala
The IRENA, International Renewable Energy Agency, estimate for the cost of 1 MW solar plant is $1.21 million per MW, rounding off say $1 million per MW. So the 300 MW costing $27 million can only construct $27 million divided by $ 1 million per MW is a 27 MW solar plant, and this is a very small plant. The average cost of energy in the States is 13.5 cents per Kwh and $27 million for 300 MW for a month is 12.5 cents per Kwh. ZESCO is buying energy from Maamba at 10 cents per Kwh. The cost of energy in Zambia has been low for a long time because our hydroplants were constructed a long time ago, Kariba completed in 1960 and Kafue Gorge 1970.
My thoughts also. For all the time it has taken to negotiate and all the uncertainties we should have just invested that money in a solar field. The Japanese or Germans could have easily provided us with a state of the art solar field in no time.
PFooools Dununa reverse, go vote for them again so that you get the black you so crave… Scatter teeth and his parliament of baboons… a real joke
Chipantepante.
The 27m dollars has just gone to waste to just have a 2 hour reduction in load shedding. That money should then have been invested in Solar plant like Rwanda. Our rulers have short foresight and don’t know prioritization.
They invested in jet instead of a solar power plant, consumer goods over capital goods.
KACHEMA SOBWESHE IMPANGA, WILEKA SHIYE ICHIYEYEYE……
Calculator boys united.
Don’t worry 2021 these rats will be packing their bags. Kuya bebele
There is no power coming from South Africa as long as its from ESCOM which doesnt exist. Try ESKOM!!
Ba PF kuntu bakupenya.
The worst energy minister ever, why his still a minister only Ba lungu knows. If we dont learn a lesson from this PF administration then we deserve hell then we are just useless people.
ZED PAYS $27 MILLION FOR ONE MONTH WORTH OF POWER.
KAGAME PAID $23 MILLION TO BUILD A SOLAR PLANT
Bushe mwe Lesa chinshi twalufyanya?
They bought a jet (consumer good) at a $100M instead of investing in capital goods like solar power plants.
kachema sobweshe impanga, wileka shiye ichiyeyeye..
Calculator boys united.
HE IS A RELATIVE TO ALEXANDER CHAKWANDA NOWONDER MR EDGAR IS STILL KEEP THAT FAILURE NKHUWA.
Stop the nonsense, just pay Mamba the $27M and keep the money in the country. Let them maintain their machinary, that way you will keep jobs at Mamba and most of the local industries and small scall businesses will remain open at leat for 6 hours. ESCOM should be only a short term solution as it is also not stable due to another looter called Zuma. Start planining and build some more dams. You must start capturing most od the water and store it. We have good rains not in the long past. You can always let this water to flow to the ocean. How do the Saudis, UEA and the middle east countries survive. Stop blaming God. Droughts, Famine caused by drought are well documented in the bible. They didnt start yesterday. You have years of record famine induced by drought. There things you can do to…
Pfools what’s your comments on this one? Early 2021 you will see so many PF members will resign and join UPND scared of going to jail mwanya
“10 million dollars has been paid to clear 20 million Kwacha owed to Maamba Colliers.” There is no germ of truth in this statement. How do you pay $10 million to clear k20 million debts? The country should not be cheated with cooked figures. The nation needs to be told the truth. It is pointless of you, as minister of energy, to come on media and start telling lies.
The day of reckoning has come for this liars. One can see in the way they talk and walk. They are completely exhausted. Lies are weighing them down.
Parte after parte…..
We don’t want xenophobic electricity
Chipata disease, wako ni wako… Syndrome its sad to have a certain people from a certain province making national decisions that are failing… Siliya, Nkhuwa, Mwale, Zulu, etc…. All failures
True! Our Mbuyas have had the Lion’s share of the Presidency and have been too selfish and destructive! Northern has not produced a President yet! Without sounding regional, I think CK and HH should unite we kick these savages out! No chimbuya here when you are subjecting Zambians to the injustice of a miserable existence thanks to your lack of foresight (vision)! Anyway, former ruling parties are always buried in Kumawa land! What a shame! Twachula pafula! Kuya bebele!
Am sure there is no money paid for power import apart from what was already owed to ESCOM. all this is just a publicity stunt by the PF to make it seem like they are doing something to quell the electricity problem when actually not. PF are synonymous with empty promises. Don’t get your hope up they are waiting for kariba to be filled my a miracle rain.
When one generator with a capacity of 150MW at Maamba went off, load shedding increased by 3 hours. Now how will importation of 300 MW, translate into 2 hours instead of 6 hours relief from load shedding? This does not make sense to me.
We have all been complaining about the Government being silent on major issues affecting the Country and when the Government begins to work and impliment certain measures to Better things we still rise and continue fighting and finger pointing.
I have come to learn that No matter how Good one is people will always find faults in you and talk even those that you try to help…
kachema sobweshe impanga, wileka shiye ichiyeyeye … twachula pafula!
MAAMBA COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU OWED THEM MONEY SO DON’T PRETEND IT’S THE PROBLEMS FAULT AND NOT YOURS !! REDUCE LOAD SHEDDING BY 2 HOURS A DAY AND IT COSTS 40 MILLION IS THAT BECAUSE YOU OWED THEM $ 27 MILLION ??? OUR ECONOMY IS LOOSING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A DAY BECAUSE OF POOR PLANNING FROM ZESCO !!!!!!!!!!!
short sleeves or long sleeves???… Escom or Eskom?????
mbaluso, i wondered as much. How does $10 mil clear a debt of K20 mil.? Looks like the minister has no clue what he is saying. So how does a company repair its equipment without money? He has no explanation and cooks something up.
If any electricity is coming from ESKOM (not ESCOM assuming the synonym is from the reporter) it could be the last. After months of no action, ESKOM has a new CEO as of yesterday, a white man despite union protests to appoint another thief. You can be sure debt will now be collected even from SOWETO and hopefully turn ESKOM around.
Same formula of lied don’t work anymore. I would like to hear this live on radio with open line.. No one will accept it.
Here at makeni villa in Lusaka load shedding has just become worse than before.