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Michael Makuza, Business Reporter

CAPTAINS of industry today held a virtual engagement meeting with the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) in a bid to find common ground on a range of issues that affect service delivery and impact on productivity.

The meeting was held at a time when there are ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), and ZETDC with regard to electricity tariffs, payment modalities, and supply constraints.

During the meeting, ZETDC officials presented challenges they are facing, which include ageing electricity infrastructure, decades of non-maintenance, supply-demand shortfall, shortage of foreign currency, general funding shortfall, legacy debt, sub-economic tariff, theft and vandalism.

To address these challenges, ZETDC said there is a need for 100 percent payment of electricity in foreign currency, recapitalising the industry network reinforcement and rehabilitation and prepayment.

ZETDC also gave an update regarding Hwange Power Station Unit 7 upgrade, which is expected to start contributing 300 megawatts to the national grid by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the industry leaders who were led by Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president, Mr Kurai Matsheza, said there was a need to come up with a fair tariff structure saying the current model was putting serious distortions on industries and the economy.

During the meeting stakeholders had the opportunity to ask questions mainly relating to load shedding, 100 percent USD payment of electricity bills, and others.