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Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]

ZIMBABWE National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) has commended the Government and Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) on uninterrupted power supply which has been prevailing since the beginning of this year.

Improved electricity supply is one of the industry’s key expectations as it forms the basis for stable industrial operations.

In recent years, Zimbabwe has experienced incessant load shedding, which negatively affected industrial operations as well as domestic consumers.

According to lobby groups, running businesses on generators was prohibitively untenable because of unsustainable costs of fuel and the constant need for spare parts.

Speaking to Business Chronicle, ZNCC vice president for Matabeleland Chapter Mr Mackenzie Dongo said the availability of power goes a long way in supporting the effort to resuscitate domestic manufacturing industries and service provision.

“We applaud our power utility and Government efforts to stabilise power supply.

“It helps in stabilising the cost of production because running on alternative sources of power comes with additional costs and a lot of uncertainties which are then reduced,” he said.

“We underscore the need for working towards a sustainable power generation and supply model so as to be able to attain Vision 2030.”

Zimbabwe has increased its power generation with the national grid producing at least 

1   538MW.

According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), yesterday, Hwange Thermal Power Station produced 824MW, Kariba 668MW and 46MW from independent power producers (IPPs).

Increased investments in renewable energy by IPPs means reduced demand for the national grid, with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority saying the nation is going to see a lot of organisations becoming self-sufficient in terms of power supply.

The Second Republic has committed a lot of resources towards increasing power generation hence the benefit now being enjoyed by industry and domestic consumers.

The completion of a US$1,4 billion Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 and 8, is one of the Second Republic’s signature projects, which has boosted    power generation to support economic transformation in line with the National Development Strategy.

By adding 600MW of electricity to the national grid, the Hwange Expansion project has helped close the gap in the country’s power supply.

This not only eases the import burden from the region but also creates room for the channeling of excess supplies from major producers to energy starved member states. —@SikhulekelaniM1