Zambia’s power utility, Zesco Ltd, has declared crippling 12-hour power outages until further notice.
Power rationing officially began on Tuesday, with some areas experiencing up to eight hours of outage, but the extended 12-hour blackouts go into effect immediately.
According to a statement from Zesco’s corporate affairs department, the measure is required due to a lack of water in the Kariba dam, which is used for hydropower generation.
“At the moment, the power station’s generating capacity has been reduced from its installed 1080MegaWatts (MW) to less than 400MW,” according to the statement.
The removal of a 150MW generator at Maamba Collieries Limited Power Plant for routine annual maintenance from January 4 to January 20, 2023, has exacerbated the situation, according to the report.
Dear South Africans I sincerely apologize for all the bragging I did about your load shedding 💔 We are now in this with you. Send help tips on how we can navigate this new way of life😞 https://t.co/Rl3jhKdKDi
— The Original Lulu (@LuluHaangala) January 4, 2023
12Hours of loadshedding. pic.twitter.com/AxvLosmAkI
— Harry Kalaba (@HarryKalaba) January 4, 2023
Zambians have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction.
Zambia and neighboring Zimbabwe share the Kariba dam for hydroelectricity generation, which has also been plagued by long blackouts.
