In neighboring Zambia, 300 megawatts of power imports from Mozambique have been halted after state-owned utility Zesco Ltd. received notification of an “indefinite unavailability of power exports” related to the shutdowns.
A severe drought has sapped Zambia’s hydro power generation, which supplies the bulk of its electricity. That’s left Africa’s second-largest copper producer to rely on Mozambique to cushion its supply gap. Emergency load management has been implemented, further reducing supplies to residential customers, Zesco said in a statement on Sunday.
Electricity supplies to Mozambique’s southern regions, including the capital Maputo, have been cut by about a third as the output of two key power plants was disrupted by ongoing protests against disputed Oct. 9 elections.
The affected plants, Ressano Garcia and Gigawatt, use natural gas supplied by Johannesburg-based Sasol Ltd. to generate electricity which is then also exported to neighboring countries.
A group of protesters assembled at the two plants, forcing authorities to shut them down and reducing electricity output by 250 megawatts for an indefinite period, state-owned power utility Electricidade de Moçambique said in a statement on Saturday.
The demonstrations, called by opposition presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, have turned deadly, with at least 90 fatalities reported — most of them demonstrators shot during clashes with police. Hundreds have been injured and thousands arrested.
Protesters have also targeted other infrastructure, damaging courts, police stations and ruling party offices.
BNN Bloomberg
