If you think South African load shedding is bad, try Zimbabwe’s

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Co said Sunday it has begun daily 12-hour power cuts due limited generation at its thermal plant and repairs on the dam at Kariba Hydro Power Station.

The company “is experiencing a power shortfall due to generation constraints at Hwange Power Station, limited imports and a programme of dam wall rehabilitation at Kariba,” ZETDC said in an e-mailed statement.

The power shortfall is being managed through load shedding to “balance the power supply available and the connected load”.

Hwange Thermal Power Station is the country’s biggest, with an installed capacity of 920MW, but suffers frequent breakdowns due to ageing equipment. The plant in western Zimbabwe is undergoing an expansion to add 600MW.

The Kariba Power Station is currently undergoing a US$294-million project which is being financed by the African Development Bank, World Bank, Swedish government and European Union.

The Southern African country has an installed capacity of 2.1GW but generates an average of 1.2GW to 1.3GW with the shortfall being met through imports.  — (c) 2021 Bloomberg LP