SA, Zambia accounts for bulk of electricity supply to Zim

Zim Now Writer

Zimbabwe received the bulk of its electricity imports from South Africa and Zambia in the fourth quarter of last year according to ZIMSTATS.

Taguma Mahonde, the ZIMSTATS director-general, said South Africa’s Eskom supplied 38.4 percent, and Zambia’s power utility, ZESCO, accounted for 32.4 percent of the imported electricity for the fourth quarter.

In 2022, Zimbabwe imported a total of 2 303.6 gigawatt hours worth of electricity, among which 681.1 GWh were imported in the fourth quarter, a 4.7 increase from 650.7 GWh imported in the third quarter.

According to ZIMSTAT, Zimbabwe generated 1 796.9 GWh in the fourth quarter, among which 1 024.2 GWh, or 57 percent, was generated at Kariba Power Station.

Zimbabwe is experiencing an acute shortage of electricity and ZESA is load-shedding consumers as well as importing from South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia.

A recent report claimed that ZESCO Limited was set to disconnect supply to Zimbabwe on 14 March over non-payment of US$10.7 million debt for the month of February and March.

ZETDC commercial service director Gift Ndhlovu was recently quoted as saying the overall debt to regional suppliers has increased to over US$100 million.