.ZULU

By JULIUS PHIRI –
GOVERNMENT is negotiating with Mozambique and Malawi for possible interconnection of electricity with Zambia.
Energy and Water Development Deputy Minister Charles Zulu said yesterday the Government was in dialogue with Mozambique and Malawi for possible breakthrough in regional interconnections from those countries into Chipata District.
He said the Government had realised that regional cooperation in the field of electricity supply was paramount.
Mr Zulu said currently,  the Government was boosting the energy sector through inter-connections with other neighbouring countries.
He said the transmission interconnection between Zambia, Namibia and South Africa was improving the sustainability of power supply.
“Zambia is currently sharing power with Tanzania and even Kenya through interconnections and in the similar way, it is sharing power with, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana,” he said.
Mr Zulu said Government had invested a lot in the power sector in the country to mitigate load-shedding.
He said the Government had pumped in huge sums of money towards mitigating load-shedding which was prevalent in the country previously.
He said the Government was happy to see to it that the load-shedding had come like almost a thing of the past due to investment which the Government had pumped into the energy sector.
Mr Zulu said Government is next month expected to commission the 180 megawatts of power at Kariba North Bank after another 180 megawatts was commissioned by President Michael Sata recently.
He said the recently commissioned machine was boosting power in the country adding that the commissioning of the Lunzua megawatts would be done soon.