A 30-minute nationwide power outage in Zambia over the weekend was due to a technical fault in the interconnected power networks between it and Zimbabwe, a senior government official has said.
Addressing the media in the capital Lusaka on Monday, Peter Mumba, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy, said state power utility ZESCO Limited worked diligently to resolve the outage, which occurred Sunday evening. He said (via <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/zambia-says-power-outage-caused-by-fault-in-interconnected-network-with-zimbabwe/3404401">AA</a>):
<blockquote>
During the power outage, there were two mines that had people trapped underground. These mines included a Chinese mine in Chambishi and Mopani Mine at Mindolo shaft. The people who were trapped were all safely rescued as the mines were supplied with an alternative power supply.
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Thabo Kawana, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Media, said that no loss of life occurred in hospitals due to the power outage.
Kawana said that key institutions, including the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia’s largest referral health facility, had power restored within 30 minutes and are equipped with backup power sources.
ZESCO Acting Managing Director Justin Loongo said the Southern African Power Pool is investigating the source of the outage.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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Over the weekend, Zambia had a 30-minute power outage because of a problem with the power networks connected to Zimbabwe. ZESCO Limited worked to fix the issue. Some people were trapped in mines during the outage but were safely rescued. No one in the hospitals died because of the power cut. Important places like the University Teaching Hospital got power back quickly with backup sources. The Southern African Power Pool is looking into what caused the problem. All is back to normal now.

"Power Outage In Zimbabwe And Zambia Due To Technical Fault In Interconnected Networks"

Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has accused his successor, Hakainde Hichilema, of being responsible for the power blackout that struck the country on Sunday, leaving critical institutions like hospitals without electricity.
The power outages affected both Zambia and Zimbabwe, which are currently facing an ongoing power crisis, largely due to declining water levels at Lake Kariba.
Zambia’s power utility, ZESCO Limited, confirmed that the system disturbance occurred shortly after 8 PM on Sunday.
In a<a href="https://www.lusakatimes.com/2024/11/26/former-president-edgar-lungu-blames-president-hichilema-for-power-outage-experienced-in-zambia-and-zimbabwe/"> statement</a>, Lungu alleged that the blackout was caused by undue interference by Hichilema’s government in ZESCO’s operations. Said Lungu:
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The national power blackout we experienced last night is an ultimate manifestation and clear confirmation of how ZESCO, our national utility company, has been driven into complete ruins by the New Doom government.
This once vibrant national power utility is now a shell of itself because the top managers and various competent officers were purged, after the 2021 general elections, on politcal and other grounds I will not name because Mr Hakainde Hichilema will consider them as sedition or hate speech.
Now we are paying, as a country, a bitter price for that unwarranted victimisation of competent and professional officers who knew better how to manage that sensitive national asset.
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Lungu suggested that the power blackouts may have contributed to the deaths of patients in hospitals who relied on life-saving equipment powered by electricity. He said:
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During our time in government as PF, the longest load shedding period did not exceed 17 hours. It is this period Mr Hichilema described as unbearable and campaigned to end once voted into office.
Today, under Mr Hichilema’s watch, most households and businesses are going for more than 48 straight hours and even more in some cases without power supply…
Surely, Zambians cannot continue to subject themselves to a leadership that sees no problem in having delicate facilities such as hospitals and others that directly touch on the wellbeing of our citizens being load-shedded.
At what cost in terms of lost lives and businesses will this government take such matters seriously and act to ensure that the lives and businesses are protected?
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More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu is blaming current President Hakainde Hichilema for the recent power blackout in Zambia. The blackout affected critical places like hospitals. The power crisis is because of low water levels at Lake Kariba. Lungu thinks Hichilema's government interfered with the power company, ZESCO, causing the blackout. Lungu says under his leadership, power outages were not as bad as they are now. He worries about people dying because hospitals are without electricity. Lungu wants Hichilema's government to take action and protect citizens' lives and businesses from power shortages.

Lungu Blames Hichilema For Zambia's Recent Electricity Blackout

A power surge on Sunday night caused widespread blackouts in both Zimbabwe and Zambia, plunging the two southern African countries into darkness.
Both nations are already grappling with an ongoing power crisis, largely due to the declining water levels at Lake Kariba, which is a key source of hydroelectric power for both countries.
Zambia’s power utility, ZESCO Limited, confirmed that the system disturbance occurred just after 8 PM on Sunday. Said ZESCO acting managing director Justin Loongo:
<blockquote>
ZESCO Limited informs the nation that the country has experienced a power system disturbance today, 24 November 2024 at 20:15 hours leading to loss of power supply that has affected the whole country.
The Corporation is working diligently to resolve the unplanned outage and power supply restoration is underway.
ZESCO will keep the country updated of this unforeseen development.
We regret the unplanned loss of supply and seek our customers’ support and patience.
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Zimbabwe’s power utility, ZESA Holdings, also confirmed last night’s “system disturbance” which left the country in darkness. It said:
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We regret to advise our valued customers that the national grid experienced a system disturbance last night resulting in a system blackout. Our engineers reacted and began the restoration process.
We are happy to advise that as of this morning, most of the load centres have been picked countrywide. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.
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More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zambia and Zimbabwe had a blackout on Sunday due to too much power. They already have less power because the water levels are low in the lake that makes electricity. Zambia said sorry for the problem and is fixing it. Zimbabwe is also trying to fix the blackout. They hope to have power back soon. Both countries are working hard to solve the issue. Everyone is upset but they are doing their best to bring back electricity.

Zambia Faces Electricity Blackout Due To "System Disturbance"

Zimbabwe experienced a nationwide electricity blackout on Sunday night into Monday morning, prompting widespread frustration on social media.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) confirmed the outage in a statement issued on Monday, attributing it to a disturbance in the national grid that led to a system-wide blackout. Reads the statement:
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We regret to advise our valued customers that the national grid experienced a system disturbance last night resulting in a system blackout.
Our Engineers reacted and began the restoration process. We are happy to advise that as of this morning most of the load centres have been picked countrywide.
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The blackout further exacerbated the frustration of Zimbabweans already enduring frequent power shortages, with some major urban areas, like Chitungwiza, experiencing up to 20 hours of daily power cuts.
In other parts of the country, people are enduring outages lasting up to a week, often without any explanation from the power utility.
Despite having the installed capacity at its power stations, ZESA is struggling to generate enough electricity to meet demand.
Hwange Power Station is currently producing around 1,000 MW, while Kariba Power Station, typically the most reliable, is operating at just a tenth of its installed capacity due to falling water levels at Kariba Dam.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe had a big power cut making everything dark. The power company said there was a problem with the national grid. They are now fixing it. People in cities like Chitungwiza already had lots of power cuts, some lasting a week. The power stations are not making enough electricity. Hwange Power Station is only making 1,000 MW, and Kariba Power Station is only making a little bit because the water level is low. People are frustrated and want more power.

ZESA "System Disturbance" Plunges Zimbabwe Into Darkness

ZESA Holdings, Zimbabwe’s power utility, has reported a loss of 800 megawatts of electricity generation capacity due to hydrological challenges at the Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Station, further exacerbating the country’s ongoing power crisis.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Edgar Moyo, in Parliament last week while responding to questions from lawmakers regarding the electricity supply situation in Zimbabwe.
According to the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), the water available for power generation (usable live storage) at Lake Kaiba on 20 June 2024 stood at 12,54% compared to 31,23% during the same period in 2023. Said Minister Moyo:
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The issue of power supply in the country is heavily affected by hydrological issues in Lake Kariba, where we have lost over 800 megawatts.
The stored capacity at Kariba is 1 050 megawatts and we are only able to produce 214 megawatts on average because of the water rationing which has resulted in low inflows in the lake.
From that perspective, after losing over 800 megawatts, it makes it very difficult to sufficiently supply power in the country.
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Moyo said to address the power challenges, the government has commissioned Hwange Thermal Plant Units 7 and 8, which produce a combined 600 megawatts daily. He added:
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We also have Units 1 to 6, where we have 4 units in operation and they are producing an average of 300 megawatts. Some of those units are not very reliable and we have come up with a mechanism to constantly repair them…
The other measures that we have put in place include renewable energy, efforts where we have given licences to several IPPs which are developing their own projects.
</blockquote>
Zimbabweans are experiencing extensive rolling blackouts, with power outages lasting approximately 15 hours per day, except on Sundays in certain areas.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"ZESA Lost 800MW Capacity At Kariba Hydropower Station"

Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) president Mike Kamungeremu said the country needs to quickly focus on its own power generation, as power shortages in South Africa threaten local industry.
Over the past few weeks, South Africa’s power utility, Eskom, reported that several coal-powered generation units had broken down owing to old age and poor maintenance.
There are fears that power blackouts in South Africa will result in:
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1). reduced power supply to Zimbabwe. Eskom used to sell up to 400MW of electricity per month to Zimbabwe
2). a delay in delivery of imports from SA by local industry.,
3). a rise in electricity prices in the region as SA will look beyond its borders to secure electricity for its industry.
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Kamungeremu told NewsDay Business that Zimbabwe has other options but should now focus on ensuring that its power generators can produce enough power for the whole nation. He said on Eskom’s power blackouts:
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It could have some effect since we import power from them but I don’t want to read much into that. We have other options like Mozambique and Zambia but our real focus must actually be on our own power generating infrastructure.
We have been informed that Hwange 7 and 8 are nearing completion and that’s sweet news to our ears. We would rather look forward to the 600 megawatts expected from those plants than worrying about power cuts in South Africa.
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Zimbabwe has a power deficit of between 1 000MW and 1 600MW and as a result, has been importing US$17 million worth of power monthly to meet the local electricity generation shortfall.
Shortages of foreign currency limited imports. Last year, ZESA spent US$225 million on power imports.
<h2>What’s being done:</h2>
The government is upgrading and adding new generation units to the power plants at the Kariba and Hwange power stations. 
Kariba’s two generating units that are being constructed have the capacity to generate 300MW of power while Hwange will see two more units being added with a combined capacity of 600MW.
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