Locadia Mavhudzi, Midlands Correspondent

THE Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) has confiscated Gweru City Council equipment which they use to install incandescent light bulbs as a way of coercing the local authority to adopt energy saving bulbs for public lighting.

Zera is seeking to enforce the ban on the use of incandescent light bulbs as part of efforts to improve efficient use of electricity in the country.

The local authority is currently using incandescent lights for public lighting in the Central Business District and on tower lights across the high-density suburbs.

Addressing a full council meeting on Monday, Gweru Mayor Councillor Josiah Makombe said the local authority is now under fire as Zera confiscated some equipment which was meant to be used in installing more incandescent light bulbs in the city.

“Zera has descended on us and has given the local authority an ultimatum to adopt energy saving bulbs for public lighting. We have no option but to comply with the directive from Zrea. Some of our equipment has already been confiscated,” he said.

While Clr Makombe did not elaborate or state the exact equipment confiscated by Zera, he implored council engineering department to accelerate compliant measures in the earliest possible time.

The city’s public lighting system is also in shambles as there are few functional streetlights in town and fewer in the residential areas.

Efforts by the local authority to improve public lighting have not been fruitful as the city is counting losses after paying about US$500 000 for solar-powered traffic lights which are now malfunctioning, barely a year after they were installed.

The municipality awarded the contract to Drewland, a Chinese company, in 2013 with a target of installing solar-powered traffic lights at 16 intersections in the city, which was expected to reduce its power bill.

Zera says the country could save about 300 megawatts of electricity if all energy consumers were to switch to solar water heating, use energy efficient appliances, adopt LPG or biogas and partake in the net-metering programme.

Renewable energy is seen as a panacea to Zimbabwe’s electricity woes and Government, through Zera, has licensed a number of independent power producers, but some of them were struggling to take off due to lack of funding.According to the African EU Renewable Energy Co-operation Programme, Zimbabwe has a strong potential for electricity generation from hydro, solar and biomass resources. But so far, only a fraction of these have been exploited.

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