Water level at Lake Kariba continue to rise gradually due to the ongoing rainy season, raising prospects of improved hydro-power generation later in the year, but remains significantly lower than last year at the same stage, according to the latest statistics from the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA).
As of Monday, the lake's water level stood at 476,41 metres, compared to 477,84m at the same time last year.
The Kariba Dam is designed to operate at a water level between 475,50m and 488,50m. Usable live storage, crucial for power generation, is currently at a mere 4,09 billion cubic metres (BCM), a stark contrast to the 10,54 BCM available in 2024, the ZRA said.
This translates to a usable live storage level of 6,3 percent for power generation, drastically lower than the 16,38 percent recorded last year.
Although the lake is experiencing a gradual increase in water levels due to the rains around its catchment area, the current storage capacity remains critically low, says the ZRA, a bi-national entity jointly owned by Zambia and Zimbabwe, established to manage the affairs of the Zambezi River and including, Kariba Dam.
Kariba Dam power stations, built on the northen and southern banks of the giant resevoir, have a combined generating capacity of approximately 2 100MW, with Zimbabwe's share being 1 050MW.
However, low water levels, largely attributed to the impacts of climate change and the severe El Nino-induced drought experienced last year, have significantly hampered production.
The reduced output from Kariba has already forced Zimbabwe to implement power cuts, impacting businesses, households and overall economic activity.
The situation highlights the vulnerability of the country's power supply to climate change and underscores the urgent need for diversification of energy sources and sustainable water management practices.
Zimbabwe's energy mix is dominated by coal (thermal) and hydropower. In 2023, Zimbabwe's installed electricity generation capacity was approximately 2 540MW from hydro and thermal power supply.
However, due to climate change, aging infrastructure, and frequent equipment breakdowns, electricity generation is often much lower than the installed capacity, resulting in power cuts and load shedding.
The country has suffered from significant power deficits with a peak demand of 1 900 MW, forcing power outages of 12 to 14 hours a day. This has also been the situation in South Africa and Zambia, which has made the SADC region power insecure.
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Although the Government commissioned an additional 600MW at the Hwange Power Station in 2023, and 300MW at Kariba Power Station in 2018, the installed capacity is still insufficient to meet demand. The effect has been felt more acutely in key productive sectors of the economy.
This has created the necessity for renewable energy supply and independent power producers (IPPs).
Zimbabwe's renewable energy sector is gaining momentum as it seeks to diversify its energy sources and address energy deficits. Various players, including the government, private sector, non-governmental organisations, and international partners, have promoted renewable energy access using solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass.
Zimbabwe has a Renewable Energy Policy guided by the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), aligned to the demand-supply scenario, grid absorption capacity, and utilities' ability to pay for renewable energy electricity.
Targets in the policy seek to achieve an installed capacity of 1 100MW or 17 per cent of the total electricity supply to meet electricity demand by 2025, and 2 100MW or 27 per cent of overall generation to meet electricity demand by 2030.
Zimbabwe has set a target to install more than 250 000 solar geysers in old (as retrofits) and new buildings by 2030.
Several IPPs have been granted licenses by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA). By 2023, about 23 IPPs were licenced under the solar PV technology, and 18 projects involved installation for own use.
