ZESA has deepened electricity cuts due to inadequate imports and after maintenance at a major plant and less generation at another cut power supply.

Most urban areas have for the past three weeks experienced unplanned power cuts, at times lasting for 12 hours. A combination of reduced output at the 750 MW Kariba hydro power station due to annual maintenance and the shut down of one unit at the 400 MW Hwange thermal plant has reduced electricity generation by 600 MW.

Zimbabwe produces around 1,100 MW of electricity against a peak demand of 2,000 MW and imports up to 500 MW during peak periods, but power is fast becoming scarce as suppliers in the southern Africa region face rising internal demand.

The bulk of Zimbabwe's electricity imports come from Mozambique, but it also buys from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ZESA spokesman, Fullard Gwasira said the state power firm was only managing to buy half of its electricity import requirements.

"The current load shedding that is being experienced in the country is a result of the annual maintenance at Kariba Power Station, depressed generation at Hwange and low imports," said Gwasira. "Owing to power generation challenges being experienced by our traditional suppliers, Zimbabwe has only been able to secure half of its import needs from the region."

Maintenance at Kariba is scheduled to end on Sunday but Gwasira said this would only slightly ease the power cut.

The electricity cuts are hurting an economy that has just started to recover from a decade of decline. Industrial output has increased from 10 percent at the start of the year to 40 percent after a new unity government formed between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in February brought stability.

Energy and Power Development Minister Elias Mudzuri last month said ZESA planned to ramp up output at Hwange to 750 MW by restarting another generating unit at Hwange while another 90 MW would be produced from a smaller plant. - Reuters