Government announces improved pBy John Chola
Minister of Energy, Makzo Chikote, has announced improvements in the country’s power supply following the resumption of full operations at the 300MW Maamba Energy Power Plant.
Speaking during the Weekly Energy Update No. 7, Chikote expressed gratitude to Zambians for their patience during the prolonged power shortages that have affected the country.
“The month of September has been the most difficult period of the power deficit, with the country experiencing prolonged hours of power rationing,” Chikote stated.
He attributed the power crisis to three key factors: reduced generation at the Kariba North Bank Power Station due to water depletion, maintenance works at the Maamba Power Plant, and technical challenges on the power interconnector with Namibia.
Chikote announced that maintenance works at the Maamba plant were completed on October 1, restoring the facility to full operation.
In addition, he reported that the technical fault on the power transmission line linking Zambia and Namibia, which had affected imports, has now been rectified.
“Our power imports have normalised, effective 1st October 2024,” he said.
These developments are expected to provide some relief to the country’s energy supply, with the minister assuring that Zambians will now have at least three hours of stable power supply daily for retail customers, a situation expected to gradually improve.
Chikote, however, acknowledged that the government’s current response to the power crisis is not the ultimate solution, emphasizing that more options will be explored to rescue the economy from the ongoing power deficit.
He highlighted the importance of partnerships with private power traders, whom President Hakainde Hichilema has called upon to contribute to mitigating the energy challenges.
As the country navigates through these challenges, Chikote stated, the government continues to encourage citizens and businesses to embrace alternative energy solutions, a step towards building a more sustainable energy future.
