Zambia plans energy cuts because of low water ranges in Lake Kariba | Water Information
Hydropower contributes greater than 75 % of Zambia’s energy era.
Zambia will begin rationing electrical energy provide to home shoppers from December 15 following a giant drop in water ranges in Lake Kariba, threatening hydropower era, the power minister has stated.
Final week, officers in neighbouring Zimbabwe – which collectively owns the Kariba Dam with Zambia – stated water ranges had been too low for them to proceed power-generation actions there.
Kariba is the principle supply of electrical energy era for each international locations.
Water ranges within the lake have dropped to 4.1 % of usable storage for the Kariba North Financial institution Energy Station in Zambia and the Kariba South Financial institution on the Zimbabwean aspect of the lake, Peter Kapala, Zambia’s power minister, informed parliament on Friday.
“The low water stage state of affairs within the lake Kariba threatens the facility era from each the Kariba North Financial institution Hydropower station and Kariba South Financial institution Hydropower station,” he stated.
Water ranges within the lake have fallen because of lowered inflows from the Zambezi river and its tributaries and heavy use by energy era corporations in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Hydropower contributes greater than 75 % of Zambia’s energy era.
Kapala stated it was projected that if the present water utilisation continued, the remaining water for energy era wouldn’t be sufficient for energy era from mid-December.
To keep away from an entire shutdown of the 2 energy stations, the Zambezi River Authority has informed Zimbabwe to chop era to a most of 300 megawatts and Zambia to a most of 800 megawatts, he stated.
“We anticipate that it will translate right into a load administration regime beginning on the fifteenth of December, 2022 of as much as six hours every day.”
The Kariba North Financial institution Energy Station has an put in capability of 1080 megawatts whereas the Kariba South Financial institution Energy station in Zimbabwe has a capability of 1050 megawatts.
The 2 international locations collectively handle the water within the lake by way of the Zambezi River Authority.
