Zambia Electricity and Supply Company (ZESCO) Limited has announced an escalation in load shedding, with power supply to residential areas now reduced to just five hours per day.
The latest development follows an emergency shutdown at Maamba Collieries Power Station, one of the country’s key power generation facilities.
In a brief statement, ZESCO cited the unexpected outage as the cause of the severe reduction in electricity distribution, adding that efforts are underway to restore operations at the affected plant as quickly as possible.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and assure the public that every effort is being made to normalize the situation,” said a ZESCO spokesperson.
The utility company has urged citizens to use electricity sparingly, while also warning that further adjustments to the load-shedding schedule may occur if the power deficit continues.
“By switching off lights in rooms not occupied, minimizing the use of high energy consuming appliances such as geysers and electric heaters, we can save that energy required to keep the lights a bit longer,” read the statement.