In this final part of the Electricity situation we take a look at the state of ZPC power stations, the contribution from private players as well as the fate of Zimbabwe’s power situation in the short term.
File footage of Hwange Power Station Courtsey of AP
Telecel (and the other networks, probably) are in talks with POTRAZ to get tariffs adjusted to keep up with the inflationary nature of the economy.
According to Zim Morning Post, the MNO is asking for an adjustment of tariffs among other requests which they believe will turn the business around.
Telecel is reportedly in discussions with power authorities and government officials in the Energy Ministry in order to get a dedicated power line to their switching centres. The company is also reportedly investing in Tesla solar batteries as alternative power sources for its base stations.
The MNO is also looking to address network disruptions that subscribers have been complaining about:
In order to mitigate these challenges, the company has been on a very aggressive import substitution and local skills transfer. The company’s main switching centres are in an industrial area and have been subjected to prolonged power outages, which have resulted in the company’s technological operating costs ballooning due to the use of alternative power, particularly diesel and has in turn affected base stations’ availability in other parts of the country.
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There’s nothing new you can tell a Zimbabwean about load-shedding… Our current electricity crisis has been ongoing since April/May last year and we’ve become accustomed to having no power or looking for alternative sources of power.
One of the not-so-shocking things that happens when citizens in a country don’t have power for 16-18 hours each day is that they’ll use their electrical appliances much less than they did before.
Without electricity to power routers and with the cost of the internet constantly rising, a number of people have just decided to stop paying for their fibre subscriptions.
For some people – a significant number actually – their jobs don’t allow them to just ditch the internet. If you can’t afford an inverter/solar system as a company/individual, what’s the next best thing?
A portable battery solution that can power up the internet will probably do the trick. The OmniPower Ratel 430s. It’s a 2000mA small battery you can use to power your portable WiFi modem or your actual router and stay connected to the internet during those hours when ZESA decides to yank the power supply.
Specs
Output
USB Interface
DC Interface
DC Interface
Output voltage (Selectable)
5Vdc
5Vdc/9Vdc/12Vdc/
12VdcX4
Output power & current
2.0A/10W
2.0A / (9V18W) or (12V24W)
2.0A (24V24W)
Solar input range
12~25Vdc | Up to 50W
There are spec junkies and to be honest with you, I’m not one of those. At times – I am- but in this instance, I wanted to just test the device and see how well it works.
The things I would highlight from the spec sheet are simply the fact this can be charged with solar as well as electricity making it versatile even when the
The user manual that comes with the Ratel 430s suggests you can use the battery to power/charge the following devices:
WiFi routers
Digital cameras
Cellphones
iPad/Tablets
Surveillance cameras
POE Sensor
Time Recorder
PSP
Off to a slow start
I was a bit concerned when I saw the 430s’ battery capacity of just 2000mAh since this is relatively tiny if you’re charging a phone. Initially, I tested it by trying to charge my 3000mAh phone. Whilst it charged my phone pretty quickly with its 10w charging I would only suggest users of this device to charge their phones with it, if it’s an emergency.
To be fair, the 430s isn’t a power bank and using it as a phone charger is judging it on the wrong merits – and the Micro UPS would prove its worth once I connected it to my WiFi router…
“Can’t keep a good UPS down”
When I plugged in my WiFi router into the 430s to draw power I expected the UPS to fare better than it did when charging my phone but I wasn’t sure just how much of an improvement it would be.
At first, I had some trouble getting the router to work properly. Whenever I connected it to the 9v output on the 430s it would turn on but actually not transmit any signal to connected devices. Solving that was as simple as flipping the switch from 9v to 12v and it started working flawlessly.
The 430s powered my WiFi router for an average run time of 7 hrs 15 mins. Much more than I expected given what had happened during the charging test.
At the 3 hr 45 min mark, the 430s would still have over 50% of its battery left – which means it can keep your internet connection up for most of the working day. If you work from 8-5 which is 9 hours, you’ll have power for approximately 80% of your workday. If you decide to switch off the router during the lunch hour or two then you’ll be able to stretch out a full day of work with the 430s which is what most will be looking for in such a product.
If you want to use it at home after work it will probably be even more convenient since for most that will mean from 6 -10 pm which the 430s will be able to achieve with no problem.
Verdict: At a cost of US$70, I think the 430s is a good product and one I would recommend. It’s also important to keep in mind I only tested it out for the duration of a week and so I can’t speak on how the Micro-UPS fares over the long term which is pretty important since our power cuts mean you’ll be charging and discharging the 430s or whatever solution you go with on a daily basis.
Get in touch with Sidney who lent us the review unit and is selling the 430s Micro UPS devices for US$70 and additional solar panels for charging on 0772339260.
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ZESA has announced a new 19% tariff hike that will be effected on the 1st of March:
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has adjusted the electricity tariffs by 19.02 per cent.
This is in accordance with the Tariff Award of 2 October 2019, which approved the implementation of monthly tariff indexation formula, that takes into account the movement of the macroeconomic fundamentals such as exchange rate and inflation, for changes above 10%.
ZESA statement
Fixed Monthly Charge – ZWL$ 7.24
The monthly kWh/ unit charges for household consumers on conventional meters are now structured as follows:
1st 50 kWh – ZWL$0.49.
51 – 200 kWh – ZWL$1.08
Balance – ZWL$4.61
Households with prepaid meters will pay the following standard rates:
1st 50 kWh – ZWL$2.15
51 – 200 kWh – ZWL$2.15
Balance – ZWL$2.15
The stepped tariffs will be as follows:
1st 50 kWh – ZWL$0.49
51 – 200 kWh – ZWL$1.08
Balance – ZWL$4.61
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Minister of Energy Fortune Chasi is famous for many things, from making Zim Dancehall to being a Minister – he’s also known for his “mushonga webasa kuriita” statement.
A jovial Fortune Chasi took to Twitter to revise that statement to, “MUSHONGA WE CHIKWERETI KUBHADHARA CHETE” (loosely translated to the only way to solve a debt problem is by paying your debts).
It kune munhu ari pedyo newe ,” MUSHONGA WE CHIKWERETI KUBHADHARA CHETE”.
The Minister announced that earlier this week, ZESA’s debt to ESKOM was finally paid off;
Hard to believe but ESCOM has, in fact now been paid off. • Eskom was paid the last US$890,000.00 for imports during this week.
Honourable Fortune Chasi – Minister of Energy & Power Development
What’s next?
Whilst power supply has improved compared to the darkness that was 2019 the debt to ESKOM was being paid off whilst we simultaneously paid for more power so this will definitely come as a relief to national treasury.
Our power generation is still low which means we will probably continue buying power from ESKOM and we still owe Mozambique’s HCB. The Minister announced their efforts will now be focused on these two sections;
…This means Zesa can now negotiate for additional supplies if available. Attention now turns to HCB ( Mozambique).
Honourable Fortune Chasi – Minister of Energy & Power Development
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Minister of Energy and Power Development tweeted earlier today about net metering for ZESA in an open dialogue where he asked for public opinion on the matter.
NET METERING IN ZIMBABWE: net metering is currently run under the Regulations below. I am reviewing them at the comment. Would appreciate public comments thereon.
Net metering is a pretty technical term that a great many are not too familiar with. So what is it anyway?
What Is Net Metering?
Net metering allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity from solar power to sell the electricity they aren’t using back into the grid. You are only charged/paid for Net electricity used/fed back into the grid.
This means if you have a solar system that you are using for backup power, you can sell the excess to ZESA in cases for example when you are not at home and no power is being used at your home or it’s a time in the day when very few appliances are running.
Did This Not Exist In Zimbabwe?
SI 86 of 2018 is the current legislation that is available for Net Metering that classifies candidates for this service either being a Residential Premise or a Commercial Premise.
Requirements for one to be eligible for this service are:
Power generated should not exceed limits of the premises’ circuit breaker for residential premise
For industrial or commercial premise, generated power should not exceed 100KW
From there you apply for a licence and the authority, which in this case ZESA, would assess the premise and if technical specifications are met. If they are, the licence is approved by the authority and you are in business.
The Electricity Situation In Zimbabwe
There are a couple of videos we made explaining the current electricity situation in Zimbabwe. It’s noteworthy to mention that electricity production is far below the demand and this has forced many household to have alternative sources of power such as diesel generators and solar backup systems.
Some companies are now seeing it as a viable investment to put up solar systems at their premises. Being able to back-feed power into the grid mean less electricity imports and saving the precious forex for other pressing expenditures.
To the customer this translates to a reduced electricity bill without a reduction in electricity supply. It’s a proper win-win.
One can only hope that the discussion materializes into something viable for both our power utility and the customers it serves.
A number of people have been running into challenges trying to buy electricity tokens this morning and last night. It seems the challenge is on ZEDTCs part as Paynow have put up a notice on their website informing customers of the challenges
Increased errors from ZETDC
We’re currently receiving a greater than normal number of error responses from ZETDC, which may result in your purchase being flagged for our support staff to attend and can take up to 48 hours to resolve.
Please only proceed if you’re aware of this and are prepared for it.
Warning on the Paynow site
It seems the system isn’t entirely dysfunctional with some community group members saying they were able to purchase electricity tokens using EcoCash and OneMoney earlier today.
ZETDC hasn’t officially said anything through their social media channels which defeats the purpose of having these channels if you don’t then communicate challenges with consumers.
Update: Some comments from the community suggest this occurs pretty often on the 1st day of the month, when people buy electricity in their numbers due to a myth circulating that electricity is cheaper on the first day of the month. ZESA debunked the claims months ago but it seems consumers still believe it to be true.
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Zesa’s systems were overloaded yesterday because there was some confusion surrounding the Lifeline Charge.
What is the Lifeline Charge?
“ZETDC further advises customers that the lifeline tariff is enjoyed once a month when they make the first token purchase of units ANY DAY during any calendar month, therefore it is not true that electricity is cheaper when purchases are done within the first five days of the month.”
ZETDC Official Statement
The Lifeline Charge covers the FIRST50 Units purchased at ANYTIME during the month. This a way of ensuring that those less privileged will have electricity, because 50 Units are enough (according to ZESA) to cover a 2 plate stove and lights.
This stampede for tokens overwhelmed ZESA and some people were left stranded with no electricity because no purchase platform was able to get through the sea of requests.
The 50 kWh of the FIRST Purchase of a new month are – ZWL$0.49 per unit
51 – 200 kWh are priced at -ZWL$1.08 per unit
Balance of ZWL$4.61 per kWh over 200
This stepped system is all in an effort to ensure that those who use power conservatively will pay less for electricity and those who exceed the 200 kWh for domestic use will pay a premium.
We should endeavour to save power where we can, in order to stop repeated purchases that increase the cost of electricity.
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The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has released new tariffs for electricity. They have, like most establishments, increased their prices.
Old prices
Consumption Bands kWh
Price (ZWL$)
First 50
0.49
51 – 200
1.08
201 – 300
2.94
301+
4.61
ZETDC
New Prices
Consumption Band in kWh
Price per kWh (ZWL$)
Total Price as a first purchase for the month (ZWL$)
ZETDC announced a new monthly charge for 300 kWh, pegged at ZWL$510.00. This charge only applies if you pay for the 300 kWh in bulk at the first purchase of a new month. The video that ZESA release was a little misleading and this is just in fact a price increase under the old conditions.
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When you think of Techzim, what comes to mind? Do you think we are a news publication first or a tech company first? Well, WE think, no wait we are a tech company first and we love to build things. That’s why we have built the ZESA Calculator.
The calculator as you’ve probably assumed by now works out how many ZESA units you’ll get for a certain amount.
How to calculate
The calculator is simple to use. First users will have to indicate if they’ve bought electricity before in the month since that will make a difference in the units you get. After specifying this detail you simply enter the amount you want (either in units or in ZW$). Voila! Here’s what the calculator looks like:
EcoCash recently made it possible to buy ZESA tokens on credit. By simpling dialling *179# you can access the new service.
You can get ZESA tokens on credit valued at ZW$50 using the service and you’ll back at 26% interest. This means you’ll pay back ZW$63 bucks for your ZW$50 token. The interest seems a bit steep but if we’re being fair ZW$13 isn’t much these days.
The service seems to be down at the moment
PS: Interestingly, if you have more than ZW$10 worth of airtime in your phone, you cannot buy your ZESA on credit.
If you also have unpaid airtime credit then yo’re out of luck. No token on credit for you.
How to buy ZESA on credit?
Dial *179#
Select ZESA on credit
If you don’t qualify you will get an error to that effect
If you qualify to proceed to enter your meter number
You will be given a token worth ZW$50
This will obviously come in handy when you run out of electricity and you need to buy a token but you have no money in your wallet. The assumption right now is that the upper limit will not be extremely high either as this is most probably meant to be a stop gap measure to ensure you’re not stranded in the dark.
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TelOne held a launch event for their car tracking service Teltrack. The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of ICT, Car Track and various motoring associations. The launch of this service got us thinking about how big this opportunity could be for TelOne.
At the launch event, there was a lot of talk about the 91% vehicle recovery which was based on the South African experience. This then obviously led to the partnership that TelOne and CarTrack have in this endeavour. This I think is a good move from both parties. TelOne will receive tried and tested technology and CarTrack will have a very large client.
The service as it was described at the launch event won’t be limited to corporates and individuals. Teltrack was said to have already be in use and endorsed by the CMED (Central and Mechanical Equipment Department).
The CMED is just one of a number of government agencies and departments that will find use for this technology. Government vehicles and assets have been prone to misuse and abuse. Teltrack presents a solution to a problem that the government has been plagued with for a very long time.
It’s more a case of fleet management than car theft
Zimbabwe (for once) doesn’t rank high when it comes to vehicle theft when we can compare ourselves to South Africa for example. This is not to say that Teltrack won’t find use in this respect but Fleet Management is really where this service is really going to be useful.
Earlier on we talked about all the government agencies and departments:
Zimbabwe Republic Police
Zupco
Central and Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED)
Constitutional Commission
District Development Fund (DDF)
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)
Zimbabwe Electrical Supply Authority (ZESA)
Constitutional Commission
ZimPost
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings
There are of course many more. But these organisations have large fleets of vehicles and if we try to imagine the total number, then the potential that Teltrack has for managing that fleet becomes apparent. It’s even more staggering when one tries to imagine the wastage in both the resource of the vehicle and of things like fuel that all those vehicles will demand.
Among Teltrack’s feature is a fuel tracker. This allows the control room to monitor the fuel consumption of individual vehicles. This feature, I think, could be very useful in managing the use of a resource as expensive as fuel. Over time this feature could provide valuable analytics and benchmarks on consumption across all government agencies. If this system is widely implemented and rules drawn from it. The government will save a lot of money and fuel that would have been otherwise wasted.
Another feature that I think ties in with the fuel tracker is the geofencing capability of Teltrack. The government could geo-lock vehicles and track them in real time to see all their movements. This could also save the government a lot of money on fuel as well as have vehicles operating in only in specified zones.
The other very important features that Teltrack brings are vehicle life cycle management as well as service scheduling. Zimbabwe is not in a position financially to be purchasing new vehicles every so often. These features could keep vehicles in service for a very long time and save the government untold sums in new purchases.
Teltrack can also standardise driver behaviour. Those who are predisposed or have a knack for driving aggressively will know that there is a system onboard the vehicle that is monitoring them. This as well adds to saving the vehicle, its components and materials vehicles need to function.
The uses for Teltrack can go beyond vehicle tracking
There are a number of problems that the government and its agencies face. One of these problems could be addressed by the technology being used by Teltrack. This proposed use for Teltrack is for asset tracking delves deeper into the “Internet of Things” (IoT).
The Internet of things is network devices or sensors (physical objects) that are embedded in everyday objects and exchange information or data with other devices or systems.
Teltrack will be employing fuel assessment sensors. Those sensors were not specified and could be capacitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors or something else entirely. But that technology can lend itself to another big problem that one government parastatal faces.
ZESA has had a run-in with a lot of equipment vandalism. Especially when it comes to oil theft from transformers. Vandals tend to target areas during power outages or faults. When power comes back on, the transformers will overheat and completely fail. The only way to restore power to that area is to replace the transformer which is a costly exercise.
The same fuel sensors, or a variation of them, can be put in ZESA’s transformers. Those sensors will monitor the levels of transformer oil, and in the event of oil being depleted that sensor can communicate to the operations centre. That would give ZESA enough time to act before it becomes a case of replacing an entire transformer.
It will be expensive to deploy all of those sensors but the benefit is that it would help ZESA better manage their infrastructure. I think the overall cost over time would be favourable, compared to replacing transformers every now and again.
Back in 2019, ZESA was reportedly placing cameras at transformer stations and geo trackers in transformers. Adding transformer oil sensors would only fortify those measures.
These sensors could also help with transformer maintenance. There wouldn’t be a need to travel out to physically inspect transformers when the data is located in one place.
In conclusion
The first hurdle is to get Teltrack as widely adopted by the government and it’s agencies fleets as possible. If Teltrack is implemented and strictly monitored it will save the government a lot of money and resources.
It would also be nice if this technology finds it’s way into other areas and improve overall efficiency and security.
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With the way prices are running away it was expected that ZESA tariffs would be going up. The price increase sees ZESA tariffs go up by about 50%. There have been no changes to the consumtion bands
New tariffs take effect from the 23rd of September 2020.
So we are getting dizzy with the electricity tariff increases. On 23rd September (just over a week ago) we reported a 50% increase on ZESA tariffs. Today (1 October 2020), those tariffs increased by another 50%.
Effectively it means ZESA tariffs are now 125% (more than 2 times) what they were 8 days ago. The story doesn’t seem to end there though, we should brace for another 50% increase in a month. Here’s a communique from the Zimbabwe energy regulator authorising this:
ZESA Chairman, Dr Sidney Gata recently announced that in 2021 ZESA will begin transitioning to electric cars to reduce abuse associated with fuel-powered vehicles and avoid cars being used for anything other than the intended purpose.
No one will say his car has no fuel, the cars are rechargeable, they will recharge overnight whilst in parking. They will also reduce the level at which the company’s cars are being abused by the workers who are currently taking them home.
Sidney Gata
Back in July, ZESA fired over 10 employees over malpractices which included use of ZESA vehicles personally and a fuel coupon scam which lost ZESA ZW$18 000.
In March a ZESA audit revealed that executives where purchasing top-of-the-range vehicles and abusing ZESA’s vehicle policy and reports at the time suggest that these abuses “may have cost ZESA millions of US dollars.”
It seems vehicles and their use have always been a point of contention at ZESA as the same audit revealed that ex ZESA boss Josh Chifamba used US$600 000 buying cars every year instead of the stipulated one car per 5 years.
Sidney Gata’s comments regarding abuse of the parastatals funds are interesting given that before he was suspended reports suggested that ZESA had moved to buy a US$100 000 VW Amarok for the chairman, who also planned to get top of the “range vehicles for his blue-eyed boys”.
It wasn’t revealed which electric cars are being acquired by ZESA or how many they actually order but they are said to be arriving before 2021.
Dr Gata’s statement regarding the charging of these cars suggests ZESA is going to have the car chargers installed at their premise. It’s not yet clear whether ZESA will open up the chargers to the public during the day when their cars are not around or if the charges will be limited to ZESA vehicles and personnel exclusively.
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It was only Sunday when the ZESA tariffs were hiked by another 50% following a 50% increase that was announced in October. I think it would be an understatement to say that we are still reeling from the last ZESA tariff increase. It seems like there will be little for recovery because we are going to see the price of electricity go up again according to a report from the Daily News.
The Minister for Energy, Zhemu Shoda was asked by members of parliament why the price of electricity was doubled in a short space of time. His response, according to the report, was that tariffs were too low.
“You will notice that 300kWh, the average cost per unit is around ZWL$6.33 whereas the optimum level that is supposed to be achieved is around US$0.10 cents if we are to restore the tariff to where it was in March.”
He continued on to say that Zimbabwe is importing power at an average of US$0.9 cents as well as paying independent power producers who are feeding the grid the same rate. The minister went on to say that at present there is a subsidy for consumers because the average cost per unit is around US$0.6 cents.
The tariff increases, according to the report, are meant to make ZESA more sustainanble and the minister concluded by saying the nation should brace for more tariff increases.
This is troubling…
It goes without saying but we are living in extraordinary times. Zimbabwe was already in dire straits before the coronavirus hit and the pandemic just made things worse. Many people have lost their jobs or had their means of earning a living disrupted by public health measures.
Basic necessities are going beyond the reach of many in the country and a further increase in ZESA tariffs would mean that a number of people will no longer be able to afford the utility.
Now, the argument to make ZESA more sustainable is fair enough but the Zimbabwean people are facing incredibly difficult times. I might be alone in this, but I think the emphasis should be to provide as much of a cushion for the people as is possible over than anything else.
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ZESA has given the nation an update on the power situation as well as outlining the reason for the power cuts that have become an increasingly common feature.
The statement from ZESA reads as follows:
ZESA Holdings would like to advise its valued customers countrywide that there is limited power supply in the national electricity grid due to technical faults at Hwange and Kariba South Power Station.
The depressed power supply situation has also been compounded by the unavailability of normal import levels due to supply constraints in the region.
Restoration of service to optimum levels is currently underway and customers are advised to use the available power very sparingly, especially during the morning peak periods of 0500hrs to 1000hrs and evening peak periods of 1700hrs to 2100hrs.
Customers will be updated as the situation improves.
The ZEDTC has announced in a tweet that phone lines that customers use to report faults are down.
The statement reads as follows:
ZIMBABWE ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NOTICE TO OUR VALUED CLIENTS
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to advise its valued customers in Harare Region that the fault reporting lines are not working. Customers are advised to utilise the WhatsApp line 0719219977 to report faults while works are on progress to repair the faulty reporting lines.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission & Distribution Company (ZETDC) has said that post-paid customers can now settle their ZESA bills in foreign currency. This new facility also allows prepaid customers to purchase ZESA tokens in USD as well.
The statement the power supplier put out reads as follows:
ZIMBABWE ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION COMPANY PAYMENT OF BILLS AND PURCHASE OF ELECTRICITY IN FOREIGN CURRENCY
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to advise its valued customers that it is continuously reviewing its processes and procedures in an effort to bring convenience to customers. The power utility has introduced a system where all post-paid customers can now settle their bills in foreign currency at the prevailing exchange (auction) rate.
The system also allows prepaid customers to purchase electricity tokens in foreign currency in ZETDC banking halls countrywide, hence availing more transacting options to its valued customer.
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