Zambia to Import Electricity From South Africa to Plug Severe Deficit

(Bloomberg) -- Zambia will import electricity from South Africa starting next month to help plug a severe deficit that’s causing daily power cuts lasting about eight hours, according to the acting managing director of the power utility in Africa’s second-biggest copper producer.

State-owned Zesco Ltd. concluded talks with South Africa’s Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. last week to buy as much as 300 megawatts for six months, Webster Musonda told reporters in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. The country has a shortfall of 700 megawatts, about a third of peak demand, after drought curbed output at the hydropower stations that it depends on for 80% of generation.

--With assistance from Matthew Hill.

To contact the reporter on this story: Taonga Clifford Mitimingi in Lusaka at tmitimingi@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Gordon Bell at gbell16@bloomberg.net, Helen Nyambura

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