Zimbabwe has turned to two neighbouring countries to ease crippling shortages of electricity that have seen the country experiencing power cuts in the past few weeks.
Energy Minister Zhemu Soda said Zimbabwe has approached Mozambique and Zambia for imports of a total of 280 megawatts of electricity to boost the availability of power in the wake of reduced generation capacity.
“We are currently in negotiations with Mozambique for an additional 180MW and also a further 100MW from Zambia,” Soda told members of parliament on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe currently imports more than 35 percent of its electricity needs from Mozambique and South Africa.
The decision to reach out to the neighbouring countries comes in the wake of reduced generation capacity at the two main power plants — Kariba South and Hwange — which are undergoing rehabilitation work.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority announced daily power cuts of up to eight hours for most areas, citing the low generation capacity.
JN/APA