The government has assured that load shedding will be a thing of the past once the construction of all the power plants is completed.
And Minister of Energy Matthew Nkhuwa has explained that the reason the power utility company Zesco is implementing 10-hour load management is that the country has a power deficit of 810 megawatts.
Mr. Nkhuwa said because of the low water levels, Zesco is only managing to generate about 1,846 megawatts of electricity leaving a deficit of 810 which will be addressed once the 750 megawatts Kafue Gorge Lower power station and other sources of power become fully operational.
ZANIS reports that the Minister was speaking during the joint Press Briefing at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services in Lusaka.
The Minister said the government is working round the clock to ensure that the power plant project is fully completed by the year 2021.
He said the first phase of the project will see about 150 megawatts of power delivered by the end of October, while the other 150 megawatts will start to be generated by the end of December this year.
He said the remaining 450 megawatts of the project will be completed by the end of 2021 which he said will lead to the end of long hours of load shedding in the country.
“Government is working very hard to ensure that load shedding comes to an end. It takes many years to build a power station, I am sure you know that. At least a power station can be built in a period of 5 years. We started Kafue Gorge Lower power station in 2016 and we expect to fully complete the project by 2021,” Mr. Nkhuwa said.
He said the government is also working on a 15 megawatts project at Lusuwashi and another project at Batika which will add about 1,200 megawatts to the national grid while over 600 megawatts of electricity is expected to come from solar projects from private power suppliers.
He said beyond 2021, Zambia will not have a power deficit because the country will be able to generate enough power for local use.
This message was going to be well received if the load-shading was actually gone. Not in the future….this is called creative talking or political talk. You can’t fool us anymore…Good Bye…:)
Oh please.
Campaign message, contradicting. Lungu said in parliament last week that when he launches kafue lower gorge it will be history. And you expect votes from Zambians.
Zesco has been very irritating and corrupt,two years down the line and they still give lame excuses of Headquarters not supplying materials here in Samfya district of luapula province,
We need intervention otherwise the government is blamed and dented instead.
Yes load shedding should disappear, just like corruption must if the economy has to recover in the shortest possible time.
High levels of load shedding and corruption chase away investors especially local ones.
Useless song all the time!! You,PF shall have disappear with loadshedding bcoz it has been the worst under your regime! At some point you couldn’t even pay Maamba Collieries for power they supplied till they switched off that is when run to pay! To date ZESCO owes ESKOM in S.Africa and Mozambican power utility- Zambians pre-pay for power but eat the money!!
Yes, load shedding will be a thing of the past “by the end of 2021” after elections. How gullible does PF really take Zambians for kansi?
Remember he is the same minister who last year said there will not be load shedding any more, oh I wish a private TV station could play that clip. Very unreliable like the rest in this cabinet
Ulicipuba sana we mufyashi. Lungu wants to make all Zambians look stupid sure. That’s what you tell us Everytime before elections.
Loadshedding will not be a thing of the past, because nobody has thought about upgrading the grid. Adding generating capacity is nice – but without upgrading the HV cabling plus transformer stations – you have achieved nothing! And it is the responsibility of the PF government, being in power all that time!
He acts like he’s doing us a favour! We have literally been running in a massive energy deficit for close to 18 months now, PURELY due to the incompetence of the PF, and now when they are finally saying they might clean up this mess – the mess that has had a huge negative impact on the Zambian economy, for which PF refuses to own accountability – they act like that’s a sign they are doing a good job. Really? Do you honestly think the average Zambian is that stupid?
PS : Mr Zulu? Why are you so quiet on this topic? That’s unlike you.
Hahahaha. Kwasila
Yes load shedding will disappear as quick as hh after 2021 election. We are burying that hyena for good
Look at him, he was the sane man who said he “hopes” loadshedding will end by December 2020
WTF!? I see you are just like your ***** friends who see HH everywhere. There is no mention of him but you scared cats talk about HH. Be reminded, it is not HH who will retire you but us the people.
Talking is cheap and how many times have we been told about loadshedding coming to an end?
Lies have no legs.
PF must go!
Which african country has no loadsheding ? Atleast the pf govt is working hard to reduce loadshedding
So, bwana mini-star you fed lies to the president and let him tell a lie to the nation. Why did you lie to the president that by the end of october loadshedding will be a thing of the past. The president can only tell the nation according to the advice from his ministers and technocrats. In this case you decided to tell him lies to serve your skin ya ntwani. So, you mean people will be waiting for loadshedding to end in October just in vain? Why did you lie to the president in the first place? Are you serving two camps?
You should have been honest to say, ‘I wish to correct the lies we told the president about loadshedding by the end of October’.
Load-shedding will never come to an end its a lie. Remember last time, we were told that we had drought there was no good rains. Later we were told that the new generators from china were getting heated up because the generators were small compared to the British ones which the Chinese took. CAN THE MINISTER OF ENERGY TELL US THE TRUTH.
You have increased the tarrifs so why dont you import electricity and give the people until the power plants are fully operational. This is the reason you increased the tarrifs by 200% in January 2020. Maybe you forgot but we haven’t.
its this old son again that is played 24/7 when elections are around the corner n stop playing when they (elections) are over. Ear plugs please.
Hon Minister Matthew do not pass half baked information, otherwise you will be part of the liars. How many times have we heard from PF ministers that the load shedding will be the thing of the past. All predicated dates or months have elapsed or passed. Tell the Zambian people the truth, so that they can make informed decision to buyi alternatives. Mr. Minister, let ZESCO MD and ZESCO Board make announcement when the end of load shedding will come to an end. ZESCO MD lied in Parliament and he keeps lying to the Zambian people to keep his job. Maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on him because he has to provided bread and butter for his family, and that the government top administrators do not want to hear the truth from a professional engineer MD, but to hear little truth mixed with lies. The…
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distribution is old and unreliable, transmission lines need to be upgraded, no reserve spinning generators, The generating stations including the incoming new generators are no designed to the lowest water level on record to meet Zambia needs. Population is growing and many people want to be connected to the grid because it is cheaper source of energy. Therefore, the projection total MW energy will not overturn load shedding. Hence, Hon Nkhuwa should call ZESCO for classification.
LAST YEAR PF USED TO SAY THERE WAS LITTLE WATER IN LAKE KARIBA. WHEN HH TALKED ABOUT THIS PF USED TO CHALLENGE TO GO AND URINATE IN THE KARIBA DAM TO FILL IT WITH WATER. HH URINATED IN THE KARIBA DAM WITH A GOOD RAIN SEASON BUT ON YOUR PART, UNCOORDINATED STATEMENTS KEEP ON BEING CHURNED OUT. A GOOD RAIN SEASON COVERED ZAMBIA AND LATER WE WERE TOLD WATER TAKES 9 WEEKS TO MOVE TO LAKE KARIBA…..ITS NOW 12 WEEKS AFTER. ADMIT YOUR FAILURES PF, ZAMBEZI RIVER AUTHORITY AND ZESCO. WHERE IS THE FUSS COMING FROM???
Even if they end loadshedding we will not change our minds to vote out the most brutal regime in the history of our country. We know what they are planning to rig next year’s elections. Fellow patriotic Zambians never go to slumber after casting your vote next year. There should be thorough parallel vote tabulation(PVT) at each and every polling station. Remember HH, Kambwili and Kalaba cannot be everywhere. So let’s help them ensure these criminals do not tamper with the votes
Does it mean Zambia has no journalists to question people like this Minister? I mean how do you as a Journalist simply sit there nodding your head with every information you are getting…
A few things to put across to the minister;
Increase of tariffs – part of the justification was for Zesco to have cost reflective tariffs in order to mitigate load shedding by importing as need arises?
How many dates of completion for those projects have we received? If his previous utterances have proved to be lies, what makes the fresh promises any difference? The Minister does not even apologise for giving false hopes instead he arrogantly gives new dates like his telling his household who cant question him.
Simply put, this government have not take the Electricity issue with the urgency it…
We had enough rainfall and you’re giving an excuse of low water level. Just tell the nation the truth we are not kids to be fooled every time.