The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is owed ZWL$14 billion (about US$20 million at the official rate) by its customers.
This was said by Deputy Energy and Power Development Minister Magna Mudyiwa in the Senate on Thursday while responding to questions on the current power crisis.
Mudyiwa said ZESA introduced prepaid meters because people were not paying their bills. She said:
<blockquote>
People would (use) as much electricity as they wanted and would not pay up. For your information, ZESA is owed about $14 billion right now.
ZESA is not getting any funding from the government for its operations. It is a company that is supposed to run on its own just like any other company.
It is supposed to buy equipment (such as) vehicles that are used when attending to faults.
They are supposed to procure fuel and are not getting forex because many people are paying in Zimbabwe dollars.
ZESA is supposed to pay its workers. You might have heard that there is a lot of brain drain that took place at ZESA and a lot of professionals left this country and went as far as UK and Australia and ZESA is supposed to pay its workers adequately – all that is not happening because ZESA is owed a lot of money by consumers.
All these units that we are using at Hwange need revamping, they are very old and need rehabilitation but there is no money because ZESA is owed more than (14) billion dollars.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe is facing one of its worst power crises due to depressed generation at its power plants resulting from low water levels in the case of Kariba, and recurrent breakdowns and coal shortages at its coal-fired power stations.
On 09 December 2022, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) was generating a total of 438MW from its five power stations.
Hwange was generating 218MW, Kariba 200, Bulawayo 20, Harare 0MW and Munyati 0MW. | <a href="https://insiderzim.com/zesa-owed-14-billion/">The Insider</a>

Pindula News

"ZESA Owed $14 Billion By Consumers"

The government has warned that the licences of independent power producers (IPPs) who have failed to provide electricity under their agreement with the State could be cancelled.
Energy and Power Development Deputy Minister Magna Mudyiwa on Thursday told Senators that IPPs should be generating more than 2 000 megawatts but are currently generating 15 megawatts.
Responding to questions in the Senate yesterday, Mudyiwa said the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) will review the licences. Said Mudyiwa:
<blockquote>
There were IPPs with no money and they started looking for money when they got the licences.
If all IPPs had solar plants as what they had claimed when they applied for licences, we could have over 2 000MW coming from IPPs onto the grid.
We have told ZERA to relook at the licences they issued. Some were holding on to licences for more than five years.
Others are using the electricity they generate for their own consumption and not directing any to the national grid.
</blockquote>
Lawmakers said some IPP licence holders were holding on to the certificates for speculative purposes. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/dormant-ipp-licences-to-be-revoked/">The Herald</a>

Dormant Independent Power Producers May Lose Licences

ZESA Holdings has lost US$495.3 million through the theft of copper and aluminium cables as well as the vandalisation of transformers over the past five years.
This was said by Deputy Energy and Power Development Minister Magna Mudyiwa while addressing delegates at the Global Renaissance Investments (GRI) Zimbabwe Infrastructure Investment Summit held in Victoria Falls last week. Said Mudyiwa:
<blockquote>
The power utility is going through a number of challenges, including obsolete equipment which needs rehabilitation.
Once that is done, we will be able to increase our generation of electricity from that end.
The other major challenge that we are going through is vandalism of our transformers, cables, copper and aluminium. They have since moved up from levels of vandalism to sabotage.
From January 2017 to March 2022, ZESA lost a total of 1 282 transformers with an economic value amounting to US$495.3 million, which is almost 10 times the replacement value.
You can see how vandalism is slowing down our efforts in the provision of much-needed electricity.
</blockquote>
Mudyiwa said foreign currency shortages were also making it difficult for ZESA to replace the transformers and cables.
She also said that Hwange Power Station was often operating at half capacity because of obsolete equipment, which had seen it generating an average of 400 megawatts (MW) against a capacity of 900MW.
Mudyiwa said the Hwange expansion project was now 90% complete and that the government hoped to commission Unit 7 before the end of this year while Unit 8 is expected to be commissioned in February 2023. She said:
<blockquote>
Unit 7 will add 300MW to the power grid and Unit 8 will also add 300MW, bringing total generation to at least 2 000MW or thereabout, which will be a very big improvement in our generation of electricity, hopefully by the end of next year.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/08/zesa-lost-us500m-transformers-to-vandalism/">NewsDay</a>

"ZESA Lost US$500 Million Infrastructure To Vandalism"

Illegal selling of fuel in forex at service stationed not authorised to sell in forex has surged in the country as the fuel situation remains dire, The Herald reports.
This has been exacerbated by the fuel crisis which has been going on for over a year. Motorists are being charged between US$1.20 and a $1.25 for petrol and between US$1.05 and $1.10 for diesel.
Speaking to the publication, the deputy energy minister they will enhance their survey system to apprehend those violating the law. Said <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Magna_Mudyiwa">Magna Mudyiwa. </a>
<blockquote>
It is only those few designated service stations that can sell in foreign currency. They exclusively sell to diplomats and guests of the State.
All other service stations doing that are violating the law and we shall, through the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_Energy_Regulatory_Authority">Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA)</a>, enhance our surveillance system.
It has to be clear to every trade, service stations included, that the Zimbabwe dollar is the only legal tender applicable in our economy except those who fall in the category I have made reference to
</blockquote>
SI 212 of 2019 sates that guests of the country are the only ones allowed to buy fuel in forex, sold at designated points.
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/illegal-forex-fuel-stations-mushroom/">The Herald </a>

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