Uninterrupted electricity for Christmas, blackouts year round: ZESA promises festive power relief as Zimbabweans continue to endure up to 18-hour blackouts*
Uninterrupted electricity for Christmas, blackouts year round: ZESA promises festive power relief as Zimbabweans continue to endure up to 18-hour blackouts*
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THE Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has promised a stable power supply environment during the festive season, raising expectations of reduced load shedding in December.
For years most households and businesses across the country continue to endure outages lasting up to 18 hours a day.
In a statement released as the year draws to a close, ZESA spokesperson George Manyaya said system constraints will be minimal, citing improved generation prospects and reduced demand during the holiday period.
Manyaya attributed the projected improvement to anticipated better plant availability at Hwange and Kariba Power Stations supported by supplies from Independent Power Producers and power imports from regional markets.
“We project a stable power supply environment this December, with minimal system constraints and load management.
“This positive outlook is largely due to key interventions, the most significant being anticipated improved plant availability at Hwange Stage 1 and 2, and Kariba Power Station, with this capacity supported by Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
“This increased domestic generation is augmented by securing additional energy through imports from the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Market,” Manyaya said.
The power utility spokesperson also said planned industrial shutdowns during the festive season would ease pressure on the national grid, helping to narrow the supply shortfall and result in minimal load shedding.
Electricity is a basic necessity underpinning modern life and economic activity, yet in Zimbabwe it remains unreliable and unpredictable.
In most high-density suburbs and some urban areas, electricity has often been available for only a few hours a day, with outages stretching through working hours and into the night. _*NewZimbabwe*_
