The lights may flicker, but the hope for a brighter future remains dim for Zimbabweans grappling with a persistent power crisis. The nation’s energy woes continue to cast a long shadow, impacting everything from daily life to critical sectors like agriculture and industry.
Energy Minister Edgar Moyo, in a somber address to Parliament, painted a grim picture of the current state of affairs, highlighting a daily shortfall in electricity production that leaves the nation enduring blackouts exceeding 10 hours a day, at times going for as long as 12 hours without electricity.
The minister revealed that for the next four to five years, the nation shall continue enduring the unbearable loadshedding. Interestingly, In 4 to 5 years time that the minister is talking about, Zimbabwe will be going for its next general elections.
“The country through the Zimbabwe Power Company is currently generating a daily average of 1,300 megawatts against a demand of an average of 1,850 megawatts,” Moyo revealed, underscoring the stark reality of the power deficit.
The nation’s reliance on the Hwange and Kariba power stations, both facing operational challenges, has exacerbated the crisis. Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest coal-fired plant, is plagued by maintenance delays, with only select units operational.
“Unit 2 is under statutory maintenance and is expected to return to service in July 2024. Unit 5 is undergoing a major overhaul which is expected to be completed in May 2025,” Moyo explained, highlighting the ongoing efforts to restore the station’s capacity.
Meanwhile, Kariba, crucial for hydropower, is grappling with critically low water levels in the Zambezi River, significantly hindering its output.
“Kariba power station is generating at an average of 292MW out of a dependable or an installed capacity of 1050MW due to low water levels,” Moyo added, emphasizing the impact of the drought on the nation’s power supply.
To mitigate the shortfall, Zimbabwe has turned to imports from neighboring countries like South Africa and Mozambique, but these have proven insufficient to bridge the gap.
The result is a nation plunged into darkness, with load shedding, a controlled rationing of electricity, implemented across the country in stages based on daily shortfalls, affecting both residential and industrial users.
“Due to the shortfall in internal generation, the country has been experiencing Stage 1 load shedding until mid-June 2024. Thereafter, there has been increased demand resulting in Stage 2 load shedding,” Moyo said, outlining the escalating severity of the power cuts.
The Minister outlined a roadmap for improvement, including the refurbishment of existing power stations and the exploration of alternative energy sources like solar and small hydroelectric plants. However, challenges such as cable theft, infrastructure shortcomings, and the slow rollout of renewable energy projects continue to hinder progress.
The impact of the power cuts extends beyond inconvenience, reaching into the heart of the nation’s economy. The agricultural sector, particularly winter wheat production, is bearing the brunt of the power outages.
“The issue of cables, Mr. Speaker Sir, in Chegutu we have over 1000 hectares that we should have planted wheat, but we failed to do so simply because ZESA says we have no cables,” lamented Clemence Chiduwa, Zanu PF Zaka South MP, highlighting the devastating impact of the power cuts on agricultural production.
Industrial output, including the critical ferrochrome sector, is also suffering, with calls for industry-specific solutions to mitigate the impact of power shortages.
While the Minister highlighted ongoing collaborations with international partners and efforts to enhance domestic power generation capacity through policy reforms and investment initiatives, the long-term outlook remains uncertain.
“The Government is looking at increasing power supply sources through an enabling policy and regulation environment for support and procurement from Independent Power Producers (IPPs),” Moyo stated, outlining the government’s strategy for attracting private investment in the power sector.
