Thursday, March 28, 2024

ZESCO to get less water for Electricity Generation from Zambezi River Authority in 2020

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Zesco Managing Director Victor Mundende

The Zambezi River Authority has allocated 11 billion cubic meters of water to ZESCO for power generation for this year compared to 17 billion cubic meters in 2019.

ZESCO Managing Director Victor Mundende says the water allocation is subject to review depending with the availability of water that will flow into Zambezi River.

Addressing the media on a familiarisation tour of the Kariba North Bank Power station in Siavonga, Mr. Mundende is optimistic that the allocated water to the utility company will be used to generate power.

And Mr. Mundende said the poor rainfall pattern has seen a reduction of water levels in Kariba from about 13 meters to a meter for power generation.

He said the two new turbines which were installed by Sino hydro have managed to generate electricity regardless of the reduced water levels in the Kariba dam.

Mr. Mundende said only one out of the Four old turbines at Kariba dam is operating using the low water levels.

He said the water utility company’s goal is to ensure it invests in other sources of energy to mitigate the power crisis resulting from low water levels at Kariba.

17 COMMENTS

    • What happened to the money which has been pumped into ZESCO? We should not be talking about alternative power sources in 2020 this should have been done many years before. You and your cronies have failed chapwa

    • Sorry, but this is worth passing on;
      Knock knock.
      – Who is it?
      – It’s me, Jesus. Let me in.
      – Why? What do you want?
      – I want to save you…..
      – Save me from what?
      – From what I’ll do to you if you don’t let me in

    • I thought the water just naturally flowed into the dam. You mean it is allocated or sold to Zesco? Why? What is the business model here?

  1. His excellency president EC lungu is aware of the urgency in relation to finding a long term solution to climate change. We are currently working on an environmental development plan with various stakeholders and the benefits will soon start to trickle down. I would like to take this opportunity to commend our mayor for lusaka miles Sampa for leading by example in his project of planting more trees around lusaka. We ask you all to work with us to ensure a sustainable environment for future generations. Only pf can achieve this. Kz

    • Mr KZ

      Mr Lungu was instructing ZA and ZNS to hurry up building the national prayer house the other week ,

      it would have been more palatable if Mr lungu were seen instructing ZA and ZNS to help plant more trees around the country seeing we are being affected by climate change more than shortage or prayer houses …….

  2. Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk ati his Excellency has a plan 4 or solution to climate change which plan is that bwana? 4 how long are u going to talk about those plans which doenst even materialize? Major planting trees kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk but imwe sure Ba Pf why all this mediocrity kind of leadership. You are in 4 front of destrying forest 26 and 27 and u have been advised on several occasions but u dont listen just like we used to advice u on uku kongola eurobond naba Chikwanda u never listened now see where u have landed us shame. U dont even realise the kind of Country u are leaving 4 even yo own children and grandchildren. Twanaka nenu bane lesa aletwasuka wether u like it or not u be suprised come 2021.

  3. Kkkk this mundende is a sot, why do you have to justify your incompetence all the time? Lower water levels when it is raining? Isn’t this a paradox? Please give us a break and resign before you are fired in national interest. Remember your pretecessor was fired during the four days holiday by his HE? There is nothing good coming from this holiday in chipata, I hear RB is there as well.

  4. Apparently the planting of trees (while appreciated) recently in Lusaka, will go a long way in finding a solution to climate change. So until they are fully grown, don’t expect change to load-shedding.

  5. optimistic that the allocated water will be used to generate power – what else does he think it will be used for ??????????????????????? There was no planning in 2019 that is why we have no electricity now what will change this year – looking by the comments by Mudende nothing !

  6. Last year this time the dam was 85% full now 7% full and 1 metre above the intake pipes, so this yr we start at 7% it will be lucky to get to 15% full as we use the water for power generation and there is limited water coming down the Zambezi as it ramps up between December and April and peaks in early May and its mid Jan and Vic falls is still dry. time do other power use like solar panels on house roofs, use sun in day time and coal and water powered generation at night. start making panels in Zambia and give out free panels to home owners like they do in South Australia, instead of wasting money on building dams that are going to be dry like Batoka

    • The average annual runoff at the mouth of the Zambezi river at the coast is 90,000 billion cubic metres. The size of the Kariba Dam reservoir is 185,000 billion cubic metres. This means that the Kariba Dam reservoir or lake cannot be filled up in one year. Some people think because of the recent good rains Zambia has had the Kariba Lake can be filled up. It can’t.

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