THE Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) says load shedding will end by December this year as the power utility transforms into a viable entity.
Giving oral evidence to Public Accounts Portfolio Committee (PAC) this weekend in Hwange, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Cletus Nyachowe said the power utility had taken several measures to make sure every household gets electricity by 2029.
The committee is on a fact-finding mission of the Mutapa Investment Fund (MIF) entities that have not been realising dividends.
The GCEO said the milestone rebuilding and restructuring of ZPC, coupled with loan provisions had resulted in the continuous lighting of households and the industry for 138 days.
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"We are looking at ending load shedding by the end of this year. We have taken measures, we are intensely focused on effective utilisation of the resources that we have, and on playing on the market.
"So, we used to do inactive trading, but we now have a team that is working 24 hours around the clock, doing load forecasts, looking at what energy is available on the Southern African Power Pool market, and doing bids.
"It is like an auction. So, an active team, which is looking at this 24 hours a day to make sure that we don't have load shedding. So far, it's working well, and we trust that it's something that we'll continue to do," Nyachowe said.
The power utility's energy initiatives have been made possible through the Afreximbank loan facility provision.
According to MIF Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Enerst Dendere promised "the era of viewing Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) as a State-subsidised entity must end.
"We are transforming it into a high-performance, commercially viable asset that services its debt obligations.
"We facilitated the $210m Afreximbank Facility for ZESA, for which a portion has been dedicated for power trading on the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and these initiatives had enabled us to have 138 days without load shedding to date," Dendere said.
Further, he explained the current non-load shedding environment and generated capacity was a testament to ZESA's progress, but as a baseline, and not a ceiling.
In terms of energy supply, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was looking at the distribution and retail, as well as access, where 500,000 houses that have been built in the cities, in the urban areas, and not electrified.
"So, we are looking at about one million families that we need to electrify by penetrating. By 2030, we should achieve total electrification of the country. ZESA will be looking at ending power imports by end of 2027," said Nyachowe.
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Currently Zimbabwe is importing power from Mozambique.
