By Patience Gondo
THE Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has said the country will get normal power supply during the festives.
In its festive season power supply outlook on Thursday, ZESA said it expects a stable power supply environment this December with minimal system constraints and load management citing a combination of improved generation capacity, imports and reduced industrial demand.
ZESA said the positive outlook is anchored on key interventions undertaken throughout the year with improved plant availability at major power stations playing a central role.
ZESA pointed to anticipated better performance at Hwange Power Station Units 1 and 2 as well as Kariba Power Station as critical to boosting domestic electricity generation.
“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,” ZESA said.
ZESA said the gains in local generation will be complemented by electricity supplies from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) as well as additional imports secured through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) market.
ZESA said this combination is expected to narrow the supply gap that has previously driven prolonged load shedding.
The power utility also expects demand pressures on the national grid to ease during the festive period largely due to reduced industrial activity. ZESA said planned industrial shutdowns over the holidays will help balance supply and demand further supporting the likelihood of fewer power cuts.
“Furthermore, we expect reduced demand resulting from industrial shutdowns, which will ease pressure on the grid,” ZESA said.
As a result of these measures the utility said the overall supply shortfall is expected to decline significantly leading to minimal load shedding during the festive period a development likely to be welcomed by households and businesses alike.
ZESA also assured stakeholders of operational readiness throughout the holidays. The company said its 24-hour National Contact Centre will remain fully functional while technical teams will be on standby to respond to faults and emergencies.
“Our 24-hour National Contact Centre will be fully operational throughout the entire festive season and the technical teams will be on standby for all faults and emergencies,” ZESA said.