Thu, 21 Sep 2017 13:58:55 +0000
By Bennie Mundando
ZESCO has embarked on a power generation mix to ensure it provides electricity to its customers whenever they need it, says senior manager Patrick Mwila.
Mr Mwila said unlike the previous situation where the company had to spread its little generation capacity partly due to a drought, it has started a programme which would ensure a steady and unfailing supply of power to its customers.
Speaking during a stakeholder’s meeting with councillors and Ward Development Committee (WDC) chairpersons at the Protea Hotel in Lusaka, Mr. Mwila said Zesco had not relaxed following a good water harvest in its reservoirs recorded during the 2016/2017 rain season but was thinking ahead by embarking on power generation projects that were not hydro-dependent.
He said while Zesco was now able to generate at 100 percent owing to the good rains experienced in the previous season, it was looking towards other sources of energy such as thermal and solar to ensure that Zambia had sufficient power even under situations where there were natural eventualities such as droughts.
“We are not just seated as Zesco. We are still trying to ensure that we do not have a repetition of a glaring power deficit we experienced a year ago as you know that 99 percent of our generation is hydropower-based and so when we have a problem of a drought, we expect challenges with power generation.
“We are trying to ensure that we have energy alternatives. You have heard that we have the solar programme that is going on together with the Maamba thermal coal-fired plant. We believe that by mixing these things up, we are going to get to a situation where the country has sufficient power,” he said
He also said as a result of abundant rainfall which Zambia received last season, Zesco was now generating at 100 percent but was quick to point out that even though most of the reservoirs were full, it would take several seasons before the Kariba Dam would be full.
“When you look at the combination of these events as we crossed 2016 to 2017, there was a huge improvement into electricity generation because the rains recorded during that period were quite abundant and we want to thank God for that.
“As a result, most of our dams filled up and we were able to generate and run at 100 percent. However, Kariba North Bank is still struggling because being a reservoir, it will take time to get full,” he said. He however said if the current water trends on the Kariba dam continued, power generation was promising.
