LET’S JUST PREPARE FOR LOAD SHEDDING – ZESCO

By Kalobwe Bwalya

ZESCO spokesperson Matingo Maumbi has encouraged all critical Government institutions like Police Stations, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), among others, to prioritize the implementation of appropriate backup power solutions.

Mr. Maumbi said such sensitive institutions needed to ensure that they had generators because these were key facilities that needed backup power solutions.

He said all those highly sensitive institutions had also not been spared with the eight hours load shedding.

In an interview, Mr. Maumbi said ZESCO Limited acknowledged the importance of public safety and the concerns regarding the inclusion of all police stations in the load shedding schedules.

Mr. Maumbi explained that the current design and capacity of its national grid presented significant challenges in selectively exempting specific facilities like police stations.

He explained that ZESCO’s paramount objective during these planned outages remained the efficient management of the national power supply ensuring minimal disruption to all valued customers including those in essential service sectors.

He said achieving such exemptions would necessitate intricate grid reconfigurations or dedicated power lines, both of which were not only cost-prohibitive but also technically demanding to implement on a widespread scale.

He disclosed that Zambia’s power generation relied heavily on hydropower which was inherently susceptible to fluctuations due to varying water levels and this was particularly concerning during drought periods that impacted the Kariba Dam.

He added that the supply constraints necessitated strategic load shedding as a means to maintain grid stability and prevent widespread blackouts.

“ZESCO prioritizes fairness in managing our limited power supply, while we recognize the critical role police stations play in public safety, completely exempting them could exacerbate power supply issues in other essential sectors such as hospitals and water treatment plants and some major police stations are exempt from load shedding, therefore, we strongly encourage critical facilities including police stations to prioritize the implementation of appropriate backup power solutions,” Mr. Maumbi said.

And Mr. Maumbi noted that these systems were paramount in ensuring operational continuity during temporary power outages caused by load shedding or unexpected interruptions.

He said the power utility company understood the inconvenience caused by load shedding and it remained a necessary measure to safeguard the integrity of the national grid and prevent a more severe power crisis.

“It serves as a controlled response to an external situation aiming for predictable and equitable power distribution across all sectors. ZESCO is continuously committed to enhancing grid capabilities and exploring alternative energy sources with the ultimate goal of reducing the frequency and impact of load shedding in the future,” he said.