By Francis Chipalo
Government has assured the nation that the country has sufficient power supply to meet demand and that load-shedding is now a thing of the past.
Central Province Permanent Secretary Dr. Milner Mwanakampwe said citizens should dismiss fears of blackouts because the current administration has invested heavily in the power sector.
Speaking during a media briefing at his office yesterday ahead of President Hakainde Hichilema’s one-day visit to Chisamba District today, Dr. Mwanakampwe said lessons from last year’s massive power outages have guided Government’s response.
“Citizens should lay to rest fears of load-shedding because the current Government has invested heavily in the power sector, unlike previous administrations. Future generations will only hear that there was load-shedding,” he stated.
Dr. Mwanakampwe disclosed that Government is confident of achieving the 1,000 Megawatts power production target this year through a diversified energy mix, following numerous power projects across the country.
He said Government, together with energy sector players, has invested significantly to produce electricity for both commercial and domestic use through hydro electricity, solar power plants, and coal.
On Central Province, Dr. Mwanakampwe revealed that the region has already fed 237 Megawatts into the ZESCO grid and is expected to generate a total of 437 Megawatts by year-end.
He however noted that if the country does not receive adequate rains this year, Government will rely more on solar and coal to sustain supply.
ZESCO Managing Director Justin Loongo also assured the nation that the country has enough power in reserves to sustain supply throughout the year.
Loongo said ZESCO and other energy partners are undertaking various projects across provinces to generate more power.
“Citizens should have no worries about load-shedding crippling the economy,” he said.
