By NATION REPORTER
LEADER of the Opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile has urged Government to reject Zesco’s application to increase electricity tariffs by 37 percent.
Zesco Limited has proposed a 37-percent tariff increment through the Energy Regulation Board (ERB), in a bid to attract more investments in power generation and distribution, alternative energy sources and lessen Zambia’s dependence on hydropower.
Mr. Mundubile who is also a PF Presidential candidate, said the high fees were going to disadvantage the vulnerable.
He said the previous Government’s policy was to connect as many Zambians as possible to reduce poverty.
Mr. Mundubile said the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) contained one of the pillars propagating the reduction in developmental inequalities of which connecting people to electricity was one of the objectives.
“Government needed to look at the cheapest way of doing so because the benefits are many,” he said.
Mr. Mundubile said connecting more people to the national electricity grid was important in moving them away from deforestation.
“You know that they rely on forests for energy and many other uses. The moment you connect them to electricity you begin to address deforestation. You also look at the means that these people have to pay for connection. The suggestion therefore, to increase connection fees and electricity tariffs by over 30 percent is totally unreasonable. Government needs to look into that,” he said.
Mr. Mundubile said the UPND administration must assess the capacity of the people that are targeted in rural electrification, who are the most vulnerable and cannot afford the proposed high tariffs.
