Zesco has completed the refurbishing and upgrading of generator number four at Kariba North Bank Power Station which has added 180 megawatts (MW) electricity generating capacity, hugely easing load-shedding.
The additional 180 mw from Kariba North Bank Power Station has reduced the national daily deficit that was initially at 250 mw to about 70 mw.
This is according to a statement by ZESCO public relations department.
[pullquote]Since last weekend, however, several parts of Lusaka, for instance, have not experienced the regular interruption in the power supply on respective days.[/pullquote]
“Out of the current projected national demand of 1700 mw, ZESCO has now the capacity to generate enough power through the available machines at Kafue Gorge, Kariba North Bank and Victoria Falls Hydro-Power Station to meet the demand,” partly reads the statement.
This means, therefore, that load-shedding as a result of insufficient power generation capacity is expected to reduce significantly.
“However, we would like to make an appeal to our customers on the need to conserve energy by switching off appliances and equipment that they are not using.”
Other mid-term projects aimed at enhancing generation capacity to cushion the increasing demand for power would include Kariba North Bank Extension Power Station earmarked to be commissioned by late 2013.
This will add 360 mw to the current electricity generation capacity in the country.
The other one is the Itezhi-Tezhi Hydro-power Station which is planned to be commissioned by late 2015 and will add another 120 mw power generation.
For several months, ZESCO customers have been suggested to power outages as the result of the 250-mw power generation deficit.
Since last weekend, however, several parts of Lusaka, for instance, have not experienced the regular interruption in the power supply on respective days.
yabaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
That’s good news. Really is annoying all those power outages.
THE OPPOSITION WILL HAVE NOTHING TO YAP ABOUT NOW… PF & PRESIDENT SATA ARE GREAT.
Are u pf yourself?
Yeah yeah
Nothing? Are you sure?
Am sorry I have no time to ague with a disabled mind. Thank you.
looks like the tunnel does not have escape safety outlets in case of an accident.
it has the escape safety outlet, you are just looking at the entrance.
You can only appreciate that there are safety exits when you enter the tunnel like me when i was guarding that place during my stint in the national service.
Mr Hamiyanze: PF and Sata should be evaluated by using the country’s POTENTIAL and not PF’s or MMD’s performance. The question is: supposing the best party ruled, what can the power situation be? Therefore, seeing the under performance of ZESCO and failure to switch on the new turbines at Kariba in good time, I can state that PF’s and ZESCO’s performance is dismal.
By 2015 180 from Kariba North Bank and 120 from Itezhi-Tezhi will be overtaken by demand unless Zambias populations stops growing
By how much will load-shedding be eased? “Greatly” is hardly a convincing term to use where people’s lives are in perpetual disruption…
Explain to the people how many hours or minutes will be shaved off their load-shedding regimen. That way you will be making promises that people will tangibly hold you to!
There has been no load shedding in my area in Nkana East for two weeks! Does this explain it or the technician was forgetting to switch off?
It is not population growth per se that triggers electricity demand but industrial growth. The demand for electricity has been triggered by the mines and industrial growth in recent times despite the fact that population has been always growing at 3.1% annually. Yes there will be increased demand because of the anticipated expansion of the mines which will be producing 1 million tonnes of copper annually from the 300 thousand tonnes in FTJ’s time.
but have they tested? this thing was completed sometime back but failed to work
This is good news. PF at work
Really!? Isn’t PF just harvesting where others planted?
Just wait until one of the turbines goes down for “scheduled maintenance” next month. They don’t tell you about that.
Super Ken (KK) knows how to make better tunnels than the one am seeing in the picture above lol!!! Anyways, ZESCO hope your pathetic services will improve now. What else is new????
@3.Hamiyanze and 12. Tee Bug. You chaps are very shallow with your cheap PF praises. Be reminded that the Power Stations rehabilitation project has nothing to do with your PF. The upgrading of Kariba North Bank power Station from 600Mw to 720MW was started in 2004. The 4 generators were each sequenced for upgrading from 150MW to 180MW one after another every two years. Work on the final one that has just been finished was started in 2010. So where does your PF come in on this? And please be reminded that the Chinese are already extending the output of Kariba to 1080MW. Construction started in 2009. We all want the PF to succeed but please desist from cheap politicking.
But you are the one blaming PF for Load shedding together with your HH.
The load-shedding is supposed to cease and not ease. If it eases, when will it cease?
The Zesco statement is not convincing, they are just playing with words. They said similar things about a year ago when a giant generator was delivered from India and instead of reducing the load shedding nightmares the situation got even worse.
Way to go. This is a Job well Done. Now don’t go to sleep. Be aheard of all power demands and don’t allow such an issue of load shedding again. Well done ba PF.
About time…if you remember ZESCO said on there website at the start of the year that once this is completed load shedding will be a thing of the past. Why has there been a change in stance? Do you want to export some to DRC and Zimbabwe?
proof reading LT, ati “ZESCO customers have been suggested to power outages”
Ndeloleshafye.
HH, I agree with you. “Quality” just as “Objective” reporting on many of these websites is something that has been cast to the wind! I suspect that these websites must be minting a lot of mulas attracting bloggers with their substandard reporting. I wish for once LT could invest a bit of their time and elevate their reporting to world class standard.
I have known Mr. Hamiyanze to be a buffoon and today I have confirmed it. how can someone attribute this project to PF when everyone knows that it started when my 8 year child was just born? Bushe ningulu nangu kupukuta?
Yes it is true that the rehabilitation of the gen sets at Kafue Gorge and Kariba North Bank is an old project, which if I am not mistaken may even have started in FTJ’s time. But why has it taken so long to complete when green projects starting from scratch such as the construction of the Kariba Dam wall and the Kariba South Bank Power Station took only five years? Is it because it was embroiled in corruption when the rehabilitation project was awarded to a French company? The World Bank is on record that there was corruption in the award of this contract. Government officials behind the corruption scandal have not been named. We all know that corruption affects the quality and completion of projects. So if the PF has expedited the completion of the project credit should be given to it.
The UPND and its leadership does not command sufficient respect from the Zambians and lack the necessary credibility to judge the PF government.
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