Load-shedding is coming back with a bang in August

Leonard Sengere Avatar

Leonard Sengere

ZESA, Kariba Dam, 450MW, electricity

It appears the good times are coming to an end, my friends. The tarot cards have spoken, and power cuts are in our future. We’ve had a nice two months, but load-shedding is coming back with a vengeance.

The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), which manages Kariba Dam and Zambezi River waters says we got less than expected inflows this past rainfall season. As a result, the authority slashed water allocation for power generation by a whopping 25%.

Said ZRA CEO,

With the 2022/23 rainfall season having effectively ended in April, the Kariba catchment is no longer experiencing any rainfall activities.

As per normal trend following the end of a rainfall season, flows of the Zambezi River and its tributaries are now receding and this downward trend is expected to continue until the commencement of the next rainfall season (2023/24 rainfall season).

As quoted by Business Times

Call it climate change or whatever you want to call it but it seems inflows into Kariba have been decreasing every year for as long as I can remember. Less water, less power generation, it’s as simple as that.

This means we really should expect the bleakness of last December, it is in the cards. Water levels will likely dip so low to the point where we won’t get any meaningful power from Kariba.

As it stands, August will be terrible. Right now we only have a few power cuts here and there because it’s still winter agriculture season. The ZRA told us months ago that,

We will not be that strict until the end of the winter agriculture season in July. After July, we will be tough with ZESA and ZESCO…

So, if you can, fill up those buckets with electricity, dark nights are coming. If only Tesla’s Powerwalls were within reach, oh, and also if they could store up electricity for months.

As depressing as that all is, in the quote above, the ZRA CEO finished off by saying, “Next year, it’s likely to be worse.“

You didn’t expect anything different, did you, dear Zimbabwean? When will you learn?

So, Hwange then?

Yeah, the green revolution be damned man. We need Hwange to pick it up. It would have been ideal if the other hydroelectric dams we have could produce meaningfully but that’s not the case and so we turn to coal with expectant hearts.

With climate change and poor management decimating Kariba, the Hwange power station should pick up the slack.

It’s not going to be able to because over the past few months, the lean months so to speak, Hwange was contributing in the 400-600MW range with Kariba almost consistently producing over 800MW. Demand is over 1400MW.

Hwange is not able to pick up the slack, the 400-600MW it’s been registering is about the best it can do with what it has.

The government disagrees with me here. They say Hwange will be able to handle the base load, with Kariba coming in during peak times despite the water rationing. In their defence, electricity demand will drop as the winter season ends, so the situation may not be as bad as I am imagining.

I hope that’s the case but it still leads me to the question, ‘Going forward, what should we invest more in, thermal power stations or hydroelectricity?’

To coal or not to coal

I know it should not be a question in 2023 when the world is moving away from dinosaur juice. However, if rains are going to be this unreliable, is the hydro basket one we should be putting our eggs in? Coal is not sexy but we still have tonnes upon tonnes of the stuff just waiting to be mined.

I don’t know. Personally, at this point, I would prefer we invested in two more units at Hwange rather than new generators, or whatever else is needed at Kariba.

I’m curious to hear what you guys think though. Should we take one for the rest of the planet and guarantee darkness in Zimbabwe for the greater good of future generations or should prioritise lifting the Zim economy at a dirty cost?

Also read:

Hwange Unit 8 to contribute 300MW to the grid before June is up, Unit 7 already there

Hwange Unit 7 Synchronization. How a power generator unit is synchronized

Govt considering shutting down 3 power stations, Hwange Units 1-6 should be evaluated too

59 comments

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  1. ah ok

    tell us something new that we don’t know ….

    Reply
  2. Sunrise

    For the domestic alternative I pick Solar. It’s the next thing being invested in, not to mention all the lithium we have. As for commercial, I will leave it to the pro’s to solve.

    Reply
  3. Murondatsimba

    Matanga,chingotaurai chokwadi kuti tinenge tapedza masports.

    Reply
    1. Bogeyman

      F*** Zesa. We have had enough of their incompetency. Let’s all seriously solarize and rally for Zesa Shut down period.

      Reply
  4. MMM

    Just after elections – what a coincidence!

    Reply
  5. Rickie

    They need a website like South Africa: https://loadshedding.com

    Reply
    1. George

      Poor planning, mismanagement is the order of the day all over Africa. When will we learn ? What will we leave for our children. ? Should Africa be colonised again ? God please don’t bless African Leaders.

      Reply
      1. Isaac

        😄 Joji

        Reply
      2. Jax

        Colonisation is questionable!!!

        Reply
  6. Anonymous

    I agree with u there.
    It must be u i think who raised that on an article about the power project in gokwe. Clean energy is currently expensive for us but coal is the easy route for now while we buy time to invest in green alternatives.

    If 300MW units can be put up in harare munyati amd bulawayo that would be great. Our major industrial cities will be self sufficient in that case(assuming space occupied by one unit fits in those plants.

    I think kariba should be totally shut down for a year or so for it to recover

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Challenge with the likes of Harare Power station it requires high grade of coal that’s why it was left like that

      Reply
      1. Imi Vanhu Musadaro

        Lol, some of these excuses for failing to supply power. Supposing it’s true, it can be retrofitted to use whatever quality is there. Surely, it’s not going to sit till one day “high quality” coal deposits are discovered.

        These guys have given every excuse in the book for failing to meet demand, except for poor planning and mismanagement. Even if “high quality” coal were to be found, you’d be told that it’s not black enough. 😂

        Reply
  7. Team Africa

    For me it’s simple and easy problem to solve.

    Zimbabwe solar usage per household is definitely leading and growing as compared to even some of the developed nations. They install solar panels as an option that is incentive driven or because that individual supports sustainability. For Zimbabweans its a survival driven initiative. The use of solar power in both existing residential areas ( already covered by the Zesa grid) as well as new residential areas being built every inch of the country is growing every single day. We are already on the right path.

    So the government should ride on this and remove even VAT on all solar products. Our grid is old, overloaded, poorly maintained and being vandalised every day. So solar is a solution. We don’t need to invest in the expansion of the hydro power plants to power residential areas.

    For the heavy industrial we can use what we have and expand the thermal power stations. Zimbabwe is so so insignificant in terms of its contribution to pollution Vs what America and Europe are doing today. Saving a bucket of water because America and Europe said so when the preacher uses 5 000 litres of water bath per person I would say is being stupid.

    America and Europe will never stop polluting the environment so that they keep developing their world and economies. Did you know they evenpay Africa to take their waste? They pretend to sell and donate old technoly to Africa because they have no safe way of disposing it?

    We should not even be discussing our options right now. Zimbabwe has to use as much coal as we can and even export electricity and make money out of it. Our friends from the East can help us with that technology because America and Europe will never ever transfer technology to Africa.

    We often focus our energy and attention on the wrong things. Let’s be selfish and evolve faster and make our world and society better. We should be teaching mineral processing at grade 4 and have specific tailor made school curriculum that help us to take charge of our future rather the nonsense and useless keep Africa desperate stuff that we have.

    If anyone has a problem with it they should first tell us what America and Europe did to get to where they are today including colonisation, slavery, pollution, etc. After that, the same person has to them tell us the current atrocities America and Europe are committing today with regards to pollution, world peace and suffering of the rest of the world then we can start talking about little Zimbabwe carbon foot print.

    Let’s discuss when the area Indians will get back every inch of their land taken by force by the settlers. Let’s calculate compensation by Americans and Eureps for slavery. Let’s ask Americans and Europeans to immediately stop pollution the world if we are to talk of saving the world. They are responsible for the damage yet you come here and start talking about sustainability.

    Let’s wake up people and be selfish and intentional in everything we do as country and as a continent. That is all that matters now. America and Europe are at their greatest weakness and vulnerable. Let’s do the needful for the protection and advancement of our on nations.

    Reply
    1. Homo Erectus

      Absolutely correct. But the big boys are not listening. Shame on them.

      Reply
    2. Future Focused.

      Many conspiracies in one comment lol. Focus on the future and stop moaning about the past. Whats done is done, we’ll never get anywhere if we’re focused on grievances from centuries past.

      Reply
    3. Zizhou F

      I agree with your sentiments 100%. Zimbabwe coal – let’s go, period.

      Reply
  8. Team Africa

    For me it’s simple and easy problem to solve.

    Zimbabwe solar usage per household is definitely leading and growing as compared to even some of the developed nations. They install solar panels as an option that is incentive driven or because that individual supports sustainability. For Zimbabweans its a survival driven initiative. The use of solar power in both existing residential areas (already covered by the Zesa grid) as well as new residential areas being built every inch of the country is growing every single day. We are already on the right path.

    So the government should ride on this and remove even VAT on all solar products. Our grid is old, overloaded, poorly maintained and being vandalised every day. So solar is a solution. We don’t need to invest in the expansion of the hydro power plants to power residential areas.

    For the heavy industrial we can use what we have and expand the thermal power stations. Zimbabwe is so so insignificant in terms of its contribution to pollution Vs what America and Europe are doing today. Saving a bucket of water because America and Europe said so when the preacher uses 5 000 litres of water bath per person I would say is being stupid.

    America and Europe will never stop polluting the environment as they will always put first development world and growth of their economies AT ANY COST.

    Did you know they even pay Africa to take their waste? They pretend to sell and donate old technoly to Africa because they have no safe way of disposing it.

    We should not even be discussing our options right now. Zimbabwe has to use as much coal as it can and even export electricity and make money out of it. Our friends from the East can help us with that technology because America and Europe will NEVER ever transfer technology to Africa.

    We often focus our energy and attention on the wrong things. Let’s be selfish and evolve faster and make our world and society better. We should be focusing on teaching mineral processing at grade 4 and have specific tailor made school curriculum that help us to take charge of our future rather the nonsense and useless KEEP AFRICA DESPERATE CURRICULUM stuff that we have.

    If anyone has a problem with it they should first tell us what America and Europe did to get to where they are today including colonisation, slavery, pollution, etc. After that, the same person has to them tell us the current atrocities America and Europe are committing today with regards to pollution, world peace and suffering of the rest of the world then we can start talking about little Zimbabwe carbon foot print.

    Let’s discuss when the Americans will give back the Red Indians every inch of their land taken by force by the settlers. Let’s calculate Africa’s compensation by Americans and Europeans for slavery. Let’s ask Americans and Europeans to immediately stop pollution of the world if we are to talk of saving the world. They are responsible for the damage yet you come here and start talking about sustainability.

    Let’s wake up people and be selfish and intentional in everything we do as country and as a continent. That is all that matters now. America and Europe are at their greatest weakness and are vulnerable. Let’s do the needful for the protection and advancement of our on nations.

    Reply
    1. Mrs. Bown

      Big problem is cost of new lithium batteries needed after the initial batteries run down and out.
      I read somewhere Chinese have made a new type of battery for half the price. Does anyone have information on this?

      Reply
      1. Potato Power

        There’s plenty of promising tech being researched out there from modified lithium chemistry to all new solid state stuff, but I have no idea how close any of it is to production. I think salt batteries are looking very good on the cost side of things, but it is still better suited to industrial/neighborhood scale storage due to the bulk.

        Reply
      2. Khoi Khoi

        Lithium required for those solar batteries is mined here. Before selling it and other minerals to China and the first world, we need to add value to all our minerals. Go and read the book “Minerals in Africa Opportunities for industrialisation” by Professor Francis Gudyanga. If African governments were to follow his advice she would not be poor. African leaders know what needs to be done but lack political will as they are on the payrolls of their masters and that is our biggest problem.

        Reply
      3. Anonymous

        Takanovoter

        Reply
    2. Every one pay everyone

      Yes! You need to include every surviving and extinct African tribe in your calculations for people who should pay reparations! In fact, why stop there? Every homosapien should pay up to anyone with traceable neanderthal ancestry! It’s only fair!

      As for being selfish and flushing sustainability down the toilet, we don’t have the excuse of ignorance anymore. We know whatever we willfully do today, it’s our kids and their kids that’ll eat that s**t tomorrow.

      Reply
  9. Sir

    Wicknel Chivhayo

    Reply
  10. Pearson the Electrician

    Thats a well thought contribution you got there….and you have been frank and blunt about it without taking sides or giving it a political twist. I guess your suggestion of focusing on the available resources which is coal (dinasour juicy) makes sense. With the unpredictable climate patterns rainfall is gambling, i think we also need more investment in production of lithium products like powerbanks(batteries) locally rather than exporting the white gold which we are exporting back at exorbitant costs when we are dishing out the raw materials

    Reply
    1. Social Solar

      Saw some interesting pilot projects for communal power storage for solar. The homes in the neighborhood with solar get connected to one shared battery station that they feed with excess production during the day which then powers them at night.

      Reply
  11. Adonis Sola

    No comment at the moment

    Reply
  12. Munigga

    Maniggas ahana kufara nazvo

    Reply
  13. Thabiso Mlilo

    Climate change is a myth, research about it

    Reply
    1. Edson Maburutse

      I concur. It’s a new world order agenda to control nations for “the common good”

      Reply
  14. Roger Ellis

    Okay, I read your comment and agree, but this is an old problem which raises its ugly head year. Although there is one more dinosaur juice you failed to mention, that being the sun and solar, solar fields are working in other parts of the world, so why not here.

    Reply
  15. Edson Maburutse

    Energy.
    Considering industrial revolution in Europe was fuelled by coal and the environmental impact is for all to see, I am of the view the developing countries should either be helped to secure their energy demands by the developed or they be left alone to harness their dirty resources to power their developments.
    We have nuclear minerals. It’s in western world’s capacity to help us setup the reactors if we are to ditch fossil fuels for the common good.

    Reply
    1. Atom Man

      Tell me honestly. Is there a single government on this continent you trust to run and secure full fat nuclear plants? 🙆🏾‍♂️

      Reply
    2. Imi Vanhu Musadaro

      Ah, the Chernobyl strategy! If we cannot maintain simpler means of product, imagine nuclear power. And, then the nuclear waste.

      Reply
      1. Edson Maburutse

        Focusing on the impossibilities, yes we cannot be trusted with nuclear energy let alone weapons. We should also, as Africans not seek a seat in the security council.
        We have the capabilities as engineers to do and to maintain such stations. Just like other nuclear powers, we need to start somewhere and grow our handling capacity.

        Reply
        1. Atom Man

          I’m all for our egg heads pursuing their academic hearts desire. I believe i’ve seen coverage of at last one Zimbo Nuclear Physicist. Plus there are newer reactor designs that are safer and don’t produce/use conventional weapons grade material, but ultimately, nuclear is still too hot a potato to handle independent of robust, proper governance and international acquiescence. Thats just the reality. We would quickly learn what real sanctions are if we went rogue with nuclear, never mind the risk of doing so under the lacklustre level of governance demonstrated so far.

          Reply
  16. Unpatriotic

    You are right, we are overthinking this. Zimbabwe should just renovate its coal fired power stations. The problem is that the funding for that is becoming increasingly scarce and the country is broke af. Sometimes I feel that the problem with the more progressive world we are living in right now is that it allows extremely poor countries with low effort leadership to exist without getting swallowed up by others. A century ago, a country that couldn’t even make its own guns, let alone feed its armies would be toast. Yet here we are: a country with an economy that essentially relies on pick and shovel artisanal gold mining. Zimbabwe is effectively a nursery – we raise kids, they grow up, go to college and then leave the godforsaken place.

    Reply
  17. Pride Maps

    Us as gas dealers We really need load shedding kkkkkkkkk reasonable load shedding

    Reply
    1. Gas Guzzler

      Lol, I just hope you are ethical with it! Shout out to the guy who gave my tank a free tune up and the guy who wouldn’t overfill my canister just to round up the bill 😂

      Reply
  18. Ken

    As a nation we should seriously invest in thermal power stations mainly being powered by fossil fuels, I say seriously because it’s we have massive fossil deposits and all we need is improved technology on the combustion side were we can research on reducing the carbon foot print. Presently we’re not among the big carbon emitters globally and even if we increase number if thermal power plants to 20 we will still not be among the big emitters. Let’s build more power plants

    Reply
    1. Barbie

      There’s no research required really. Adequate tech already exists for carbon capture and emissions scrubbing. Even without that tech, if China gets a carbon pass as a developing country, so should we. Our issues would be adequate water supply to feed new plants, and funding them without giving out even more land and resources to ‘look east’

      Reply
  19. Flossy

    Let’s invest in coal, its stable, available and not affected by climate change. Then kariba will come in as a boast in wnter months.

    Reply
    1. Carter

      We still need water to run turbines, but I guess it must be less than hydroelectric.

      Reply
  20. Yollander Millin

    Why not just opt to use solar , afterall we have more than adequate access to direct sun . We can never reach the 4th industrial revolution if we are not innovative. Right now we are talking about electricity charged vehicles, fine we are thinking ahead but we are not being realistic about the electricity situation

    Reply
  21. Marco Comana

    Mmm, let’s see. Do we invest in expensive hydro or solar, when hydro requires the weather to drop millions of tons of water onto the Zambezi catchment, and solar only works in daytime, and only when there’s no rainy season, or do we look beneath our shoes at cheap abundance energy put there millions of years ago by God for our emergency power supply

    Reply
  22. zimbabz068

    Been the same since I was a teen in the early 2000s, people say as a kid we never had it but bavk then the demand was lower. Ive always planned for the last few months of the year having bad loadsheding,demand increased and continues to increase in the country on the daily but there no increase in supply or plan forward to do so it seems.

    Reply
  23. Tinchu

    Mvura ino Naya kuno ku Zimn Zambia n other countries inozongo gamiwa hayo neyakawanda inobvao Congo kana Konaya Kumsoro uko…the overflowing of the Zambezi we all know kuti zvitangira ku Congo ryt now the Zambezi ine mvura ikudira that Lake 24/7 from May to August September kana ndisinga revi nhema haaa varume

    From August itori Hondo Kuma Citizens every year zvavaiti Load shedding hakuchina …manje sooo haaaa to go kanda Vote yedu pane magetsi

    Reply
    1. Mvura naya naya

      Jeezos! Christmas is around the corner again!

      Reply
  24. Pamz

    Going green is the way to go. Serious planning is needed here. Short,medium and long term plans must be in place. We need to invest in Hydro-electricity,Solar power and many more environmentally friendly sources. Very soon burning of coal will not be encouraged. It’s high time we recognize our inventers and scientists to take us into the future with technology.
    As a country we need to be geared for a lot of changes that are coming, e.g the use of Hydrogen in cars and buses. The world is changing fast and we need to keep up with the pace.

    Reply
  25. Shoe in Boot

    Can’t our friends in the east help us with wind turbines? Or is that a non starter, I reckon it should be looked in to, even based in another nation is coastal area of Mozambique, nearly constant power generation,

    Reply
    1. Zimbo

      They only give us helicopters & free so that we go to them for repairs & more grain

      Reply
  26. Esme Blair

    No govt across Africa has fully understood what climate change is. The migrants into Europe do. They have watched their North African homes become deserts. Our green belt is being erode by the charcoal factories and the gold Mafia. The tsunami of densifying Harare with cluster housing and showrooms on header vleis will mean Harare residents going forward will simply run out of life giving water. Ask Dar es Salaam. They can live without lights, but they are counting the cost of dried up riverbeds through mismanagement our this vital resource. Zimbabweans have blinkers on. Right now the property development market is a runaway train. The pressure on resources is huge. I have not seen a single developer or architect use Sustainable practices. I have not seen a single cluster developer put in grey water reticulation. Zimbabwe is going to count the cost in years to come. Zesa is the least of the problems with El Nino looming .

    Reply
  27. Anonymous

    With the commercialization of 2 new units at Hwange that is unit 7 and 8 (@ least 570MW) add atleast 400MW for old power plant that is unit 1 to 6 , we already have 970MW
    Add our IPPs which produce atleast 300mw that’s 1270MW without Kariba.

    Soo its safe to say government is correct Kariba can only come in during peak hours as Hwange can now handle our base supply.

    If also government can priorities the life extension of old units and invest in other coal projects.

    Reply
  28. Kini Jr.

    Load shedding is so hard. Our country NEEDS investment in renewable energy like solar and wind energy. We cannot keep on relying on Hwange and Kariba to produce adequate electricity for our country.

    Reply
  29. Qi

    aluta continua

    Nyika inoita backlog yema passport, meaning everyone wants to leave.
    I don’t even believe hwange is generating that much otherwise we wouldn’t be suffering like this kungonyeperwa everyday here aah ma citizens zvaakwamuri kusarudza pekuisa x yako

    Reply
  30. George Fleet

    Until China reduce instead of creating more thermal power we do not need to worry. Use coal. Is tbe power station on the Zambezi at Binga going ahead?
    There is a lot of wasted power at night with excessive boundary wall lights

    Reply
    1. Cloud Spawn

      It would be a massive operation all the way upstream to build up enough volume to matter. It’s not like how we can seed clouds locally to relieve crops.

      Reply
  31. Oznation

    What don’t think of making the artificial rain clouds to produce rain??

    Reply
  32. desmond

    we need to invest more in utilising our coal for power generation.South africa is paid billions by the americans and europeans to keep their coal powered power plants shut.America alone has over 200 coal power plants running and America and europe contributes 32% to the global greenhouse emmision,China contributes 23% to green emmisions.africa as a whole contributes less than 4% and western countries dont want you to use your coal..think about it

    Reply
  33. Chris Lee

    What about another dam with hydro in the Batoka gorge. ?

    Reply

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