POWER SUPPLY BONANZA

MORE players will be allowed to supply power to mines in order to stop the monopoly which has been there for a long period of time, Zesco Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs Patrick Mwila has said.

Mr Mwila said the situation had changed after effecting the Electricity Act number 11 of 2019 and Energy Regulation Act number 12 of 2019 in January this year.

He said in an interview yesterday, mining companies would now be able to crack deals with whoever they wanted to do business with.

Mr Mwila said the mines would be able to identify the power suppliers who they felt could supply at cheap rates.

He said the new policy framework proposed the openness by encouraging diverse players to be involved in the market.

Mr Mwila said the Bulk Supply Agreement (BSA) which had been abolished restricted some players to supply power to mines and other clients which was not the case now after the introduction of the new law.

He said in an interview yesterday, BSA only allowed certain power suppliers like Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) to supply power to the mines.

Mr Mwila said with the coming in of the new policy framework every power producer was free to supply power to the mines as long as they had an agreement.

"This time around it will not be only Zesco and government to be on the market but all private players will be involved. And when you are doing this you are encouraging efficiency,” Mr Mwila said.

Mr Mwila said, "essentially the rules we are talking about speak to the issues that from now on anybody who wants to transmit power through other transmission corridors or distribution corridors has the right to do that as long as they agree on a proper commercial agreement.”