Authoritative sources at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) said the local power utility has agreed to sell 300 megawatts of electricity to South Africa during the World Cup which runs from June 11 to July 11.
Obviously that means less power will be available for domestic consumption and consumers should brace for prolonged periods without power, said a senior ZESA official, who declined to be named. ZESA spokesman, Fullard Gwasira, could not be reached for comment.
The planned power export is set to worsen an already critical situation that has seen most of Zimbabwe experiencing rolling blackouts during the past few weeks.
Zimbabwe is currently producing 1 100MW against a peak demand of 2 000MW and imports between 300 and 500MW, mostly from Mozambique and Zambia.
Additional pressure on ZESAs limited generation capacity is also expected to worsen from next month when demand traditionally rises due to the winter wheat production and the increased need for heating.
Post published in: News