The Sunday News
Dickson Mangena, Business Reporter
ZESA Holdings is failing to ship 130 000 electricity pre-paid meters it ordered from China owing to cash-flow crisis, an official said.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) stakeholder workshop on inefficient lighting ban and labelling regulations in Bulawayo on Thursday, the director of energy conservation and renewable energy in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Dr Sosten Ziuku said cash shortages had hindered Zesa Holding’s subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Company (ZETDC) from importing pre-paid meters consequently stalling their installation.
“We are currently waiting for payment of 130 000 units of the meters that were ordered from China. There are people that are still coming to inquire on when we will install the meters. As you may know there is challenge in getting foreign currency to pay for imports, but as soon as it is available we will be receiving the order,” Dr Ziuku said.
The pre-paid meter system was introduced in 2013 as a means to end poor billing and revenue collection practices that had prejudiced the power utility company of millions of United States dollars. The gadgets were also put to encourage efficient use of electricity.
“The installations of the meters have not stopped but they (ZETDC) had run out of stock. However, we have been facing a challenge of foreign currency payments to import them. There are people that are still coming to inquire who want the meters to be installed in their homes . . . ,” said Dr Ziuku.
He said the power utility’s pre-paid meter installation programme had covered 74 percent of the country.
“ZETDC has now installed about 590 000 of the target of 800 0000 by 2018 which is about 74 percent of the target.
We however, believe we will still be able to reach our target despite the current setbacks,” Dr Ziuku said.
Zera and the Government are working on various ways of reducing the Zimbabwe demand load for electricity by encouraging efficient use of electricity. One of the ways is Statutory Instrument 21 of 2017, which bans the use of incandescent bulbs and other lighting which does not meet new set standards.
Dr Ziuku said more legislation was being drafted to cater for energy regulations.
“We are currently drafting the new energy policy which will soon be out. Policies coming will be to also replace all electrical water geysers with solar geysers,” said Dr Ziuku.
@Dixen6
