Zambezi River Authority sets limit on water for Kariba Dam

• 1 year, 5 months ago (2023-07-03)
• David Flin

Africa 322 Hydropower 132

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ZESA Holdings has announced it is limiting its use of power from the Kariba South Bank Hydropower Plant in order to manage its water allocation from the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA).

Cletus Nyachowe, Consultant for ZESA, said: “The Zambezi River Authority, which manages water in Kariba Dam and allocates a certain amount of water to ZPC of Zimbabwe and ZESCO of Zambia for power generation, has given us the latitude to vary our power output from Kariba on condition that our overall water condition is maintained within its set limits. During the day, output is regulated up and down as required, with the maximum output of 800 MW only generated during peak demand periods.”

In January this year, ZRA announced plans to review the Tripartite Water Purchase Agreement to stiffen penalties against the overutilisation of Lake Kariba and Zambezi River water.