• This is in view of the announced reduction in water allocation to Zesco Limited and Kariba Hydro Power Company for 2024.
• This decision will have a significant impact on Zambia’s power generation capacity.
• The mining sector remains the largest consumer of power at 51% of total generated electricity, followed by the domestic sector at 33%.

An Energy Expert says Zambia is likely to face a power deficit of about 600 Megawatts in 2024, even if all the existing power plants operate at full capacity.
Engineer Boniface Zulu told Money FM News that this is in view of the announced reduction in water allocation to Zesco Limited and Kariba Hydro Power Company for the year 2024 by the Zambezi River Authority due to the expected below-normal rainfall season and the low water levels in Lake Kariba.
Engineer Zulu noted that this decision will have a significant impact on Zambia’s power generation capacity, as the Kariba Dam accounts for about 40% of the country’s electricity supply.
He said the mining sector remains the largest consumer of power at 51% of total generated electricity, followed by the domestic sector at 33%.
“Zambia is facing a power crisis as the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has announced a reduction in the water allocation for the two utilities that operate the Kariba Dam, ZESCO Limited and Kariba Hydro Power Company (KHPC), for the year 2024.”
“The reduced water allocation poses a serious challenge for Zambia, which is already struggling to meet the growing demand for electricity from its population and industries,” Engineer Zulu noted.
He added that Zambia needs to diversify its energy mix and explore alternative sources of power generation, especially renewable energy to address the power situation.
“Zambia has abundant potential for solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy, which can complement the hydropower and reduce the dependency on the climate-sensitive Zambezi River.”
“According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Zambia has a technical potential of over 6,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV), 1,800 MW of wind, 1,600 MW of biomass, and 800 MW of geothermal energy,” he stated.
Engineer Zulu further stressed the need to create an enabling environment for private sector participation and investment in the power sector in order to unlock the potential of renewable energy that Zambia needs.
Zambezi River Authority has allocated 16 billion cubic meters of water to be shared equally between Zesco and Kariba Hydro Power Company, down from the current 30 billion cubic meters.
According to Ministry of Energy, Zambia’s peak power demand is projected to increase from 2,400 Megawatts in 2020 to 3,500 megawatts in 2025 and 6,000 megawatts in 2030, against the current installed generation capacity of about 3, 356.6 Megawatts.