Zimbabwe - A nation struggling with Electricity shortages and price hikes

Dependable and affordable electricity networks play an essential part of a country's standard of living. Zimbabwe has been struggling with power shortages since 2019. The water levels in the Zambezi River plummeted due to drought, having an adverse effect on the country’s biggest hydroelectricity supplier, Kariba South Power Station.

The power generation levels at Kariba dropped from 1,476 megawatts per day to 890 megawatts in 2020, a little more than half and had to be rationed. Because of this, the state could not generate enough electricity to keep up with demand, which was followed by blackouts for upto 17 hours a day. The after effect of this shortage was that the price of electricity shot up as it aimed to restrict the usage of power hence curbing the demand.

Though the country was able to recover and produce 1,240 megawatts per day, limits were established for no more than 200kW of electricity usage per month – per household regardless of the number of people. The underlying reason for this was a combination of man-made and natural challenges.

Heat waves caused by climate change brought droughts, which caused electricity demands to rise, compounding stress on the grid and resulting in a price hike. The sequence cannot be ignored. Nations most vulnerable to climate change are the ones that emit the least.

We are all a part of planet Earth, we need to be the change for our fellow humans in such nations. Actions like educating oneself on carbon footprints and energy efficiency can improve our resilience towards climate change. Our product FORCE not only helps you save on power consumption but also on your utility bills.