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Lake Kariba dam

Business Reporter—

THE Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has provisionally increased water allocation to Kariba South Power Station for next year on expectations of normal to above rains during this rain season.The Zimbabwe Power Company, which draws water from Lake Kariba for power production has been provisionally allocated 15 billion cubic metres of water from the current 10 billion cubic metres this year, the management said in a briefing to the board on Monday.

ZPC is a power generating subsidiary of Zesa Holdings and also runs Hwange Thermal Power Station and three small thermal stations (Harare, Munyati and Bulawayo).

This means KSPS, which has the capacity to produce 750MW will produce an average of 285MW.

Currently, the KSPS is producing an average of 590MW because it is budgeting water by switching off some of the units during off peak period and utilising its allocation during peak periods.

“Zambezi River Authority has provisionally allocated KSPS 15 billion cubic meters and production plan for 2017 (was) budgeted along this water allocation,” said the management.

The hydrological trends have shown that water levels at the lake have been declining from the peak level of around 486 metres in 2014 to 482 metres in 2015 and 481 metres last year.

In 1992, during the year of drought, the lake level peaked last 479 metres.

KSPS produces half of Zimbabwe’s power requirements while two units are being added which will generate additional 300MW.

The expansion is now 65 percent complete with the first unit expected to start electricity generation in the next 12 months.