Power blackouts spoil Zimbabwe International Trade Fair
Energy and Power Development ministry permanent secretary Gloria Magombo said the El Niño-induced drought had had adverse effects on the country’s electricity generation capacity.
GOVERNMENT has blamed climate change for depressed power generation at Lake Kariba as blackouts spoiled the first day of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
In March, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) set the average electricity generation for Kariba Power Station at 214 megawatts (MW) against its installed capacity of 960MW due to dwindling water levels.
Zimbabwe and Zambia share equally water to generate power at their separate power plants at Lake Kariba.
As of yesterday, the country was generating 1 074MW broken down as 300MW from Kariba and 774MW from Hwange.
Bulawayo, Munyati and Harare power stations are currently incapacitated.
In Bulawayo, exhibitors experienced blackouts during the first day of the ZITF, with some being forced to turn to generators.
Energy and Power Development ministry permanent secretary Gloria Magombo said the El Niño-induced drought had had adverse effects on the country’s electricity generation capacity.
“We lost about 600MW in Kariba because of climate change,” Magombo said during a Township Economies and Rural Entrepreneurship forum organised by DEAT Capital at the ZITF on Tuesday.
“Climate change is real.
About Post Author
