ZESCO Limited has announced that it will implement load shedding outside the official schedule following a breakdown at Maamba Collieries Limited (MCL) Power Station.
The power utility says this has been necessitated by the breakdown of Unit 1 at Maamba Collieries Limited Power Station after a daily on 19th August 2019 at 23:45 Hrs.
Below is the full Press Statement
Increased Load Management Hours Due to Equipment Maintenance
ZESCO Limited wished to inform its esteemed customers and general public that there will be increased load shedding countrywide from 20th August until further notice due to limitation of power generation.
This emeregency situation has been necessitated by the taking out-of -service of Unit 1 at Maamba Collieries Limited (MCL) Pwer Station which developed a fault on 19th August 2019 at 23.45 hours.
During the period of the shutdown,the purchase of power from MCL will reduce by 50% from 267MW to 133MW which will result in addtional deficit of power.To mitigate the shortfall during the shutdown period,extended load management will be implemented in order to prevent over generation beyond the recommended levels at Kafue Gorge and Kariba North Bank Power Stations.
ZESCO deeply regrets the inconvenience this will cause to our esteemed customers.
Issued by : Public Relations Department
Zesco is a failed project. They should not hide under the canopy of load shedding. They should come in the open and tell the nation that the machines they are using are obsolete. They need replacement and recapitalization. It is a disgrace to have an institution which is not run viably. Zambians have been subjected to a lot of heartaches and unnecessary hyper tensions owing to laisse fare attitude from people who have been assigned to run the welfare of the nation. A bag of mealie meal is now pegging at k145. Load shedding is all over the place.Toll gates are syphoning money and yet roads are in bad state. Pensioners cannot get their money on time. How do you expect our citizens to live in such a hostile environment? It is a big shame on this useless government.
@ mbaluso
I can see that you are very shallow in in your thinking and trying to use emotions rather than brain in commenting on matters that are beyond you. I hope you know that its the same machines you are accusing to be obsolete that continuously generate and give you power 24/7 without rest when water levels are sufficient in the dams and reservoirs and when this is the case, the same machines are not obsolete. This is the fake data you HH and UPND has unfortunately cast in your thick brains. If you think lies will take HH to State House, I have bad news for you, it wont happen! Go to Southern Province and see the effects of last year’s drought and no one is happy to see our brothers and sisters in such a situation. The water levels in Kariba Dam are so low that even activities…
@Maliso,it is such mentality that has made Zambia not to progress. You like supporting mediocrity. It is not the issue of HH not going to state house. State House sinyumba yanyoko. HH can also go there. He is a Zambian just like anyone. State House is not a preserve of the few. Lungu will never be in state house forever.KK,Mwanawasa,Sata,Chiluba all passed through state house. You are an imbecile who thinks Zesco can be running its operation activities on old machines. The country is growing. Each and every household has power. There should be proper investment and diversification of power to avoid this nonsense of load shedding. Why should,a reasonable government,continue depending on hydro electricity?We have plenty sunshine to run solar energy.
Your post started very but the finishing is very terrible.
It’s not Zesco who are a failed project. It’s government who are a failure. The headline above should read
Zambia economy in loadshedding – GDP to fall heavily
Any serious government would be working night and day to solve this energy problem but where is our government?
The South African government faced a similar problem but there’s no loadshedding in that country. Because everyone put all efforts into their Zesco and made it work
There is no load shedding in SA. Are you gay?
It’s not Zesco who are a failed project. It’s government who are a failure. The headline above should read
Zambia economy in more loadshedding – GDP to fall heavily
Any serious government would be working night and day to solve this energy problem but where is our government?
The South African government faced a similar problem but there’s no loadshedding in that country. Because everyone put all efforts into their Zesco and made it work
@Umwina Zed
ESCOM, the equivalent utility to ZESCO increased tariffs in order to generate adequate money to fund the generation of power from mixed sources, are you ready now for increased tariffs in Zambia? Again, it comes to same thing, Zambians are short-termed people who want everything for free but let me tell you something there is no free lunch, takwaba. Learn to pay for your services otherwise cheap is very expensive as we are now experiencing. You are quick to oppose the tariff adjustments but when hit badly, as usual go forr blame game, sad.
Malinso, Zambians can’t simply afford an increment. Maybe if income increased and Kwacha stabilized we can talk of an increment. Meanwhile ZESCO should start charging its employees economic rates
contd
@ mbaluso
The water levels in Kariba Dam are so low that even activities around the lake for most businesses are being threatened.
Stop politicking for once and suggest well researched possible solutions. You cant always thrive on falsehood, its NOT sustainable, work with facts please!
This article is about a machine that have developed a fault, this machine belongs to mamba coolaries and not zesco. Zesco buys power from this company which it supply to the public , if that is the case zesco is innocent in this case. Zesco have inefficiencies in ather areas but not in this article. When are we going to discuss things in the interest of the nation? Let us love each other for the country develop , we may look for education,tribe,party, which are good things but can’t give us all what are looking for. God bless our country by giving us leaders who have love and without selfish motives.2 Timothy 3v 16 and17
Our leaders are very selfish.
Even if we come together and find a solution to this problem, who is going to listen to us when the people up stairs only care about the size of their bank accounts? If change is to take place, we as the people of Zambia should persist. We are too comfortable with mediocrity, and the big boys up there know this so they don’t even care.
Money is the only motivation people know in Zambia. People don’t know how else to get motivated but just cash injection. Offer a little money and you see that people are willing to do anything without proper reasoning. Politicians know this weakness zambians have and exploit it to benefit their selfish egos. People get bought to do foolish things and unless we learn to make good judgment we are doomed as zambians. We accept mediocrity as a norm in Zambia I therefore urge that let’s aim higher and not allow poverty to be reason we cheapen ourselves.