Zimbabwe raises electricity tariffs 31 percent
Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:06am GMT
By Nelson Banya
HARARE Aug 25 (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s electricity regulator has ordered a 31
percent tariff increase, in a move it said was meant to ensure the
state-owned power utility ZESA’s profitability, the authority said on
Thursday.
The increase would see the average tariff going up to 9.3 cents per kilowatt
hour (kWh), from the current 7.5 cents, with effect from Sept. 1, the
Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Commission (ZERC) said in a statement.
ZESA, the country’s sole power supplier, has often blamed low tariffs as one
of the reasons behind erratic electricity supplies.
The southern African country currently generates less than 1,000 megawatts
against demand of more than 2,000 megawatts, a situation that has held back
the recovery of the key mining and manufacturing sectors.
Zimbabwe compliments local power generation with imports from the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zambia.