Some countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) may have restrictions on the supply of electricity from the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric plant.
The possibility of restrictions is due to the low level of water storage in the Cahora Bassa dam, which affects the normal production of electricity.
According to the Head of the Water Resources Management Department at the Ministry of Public Works, water storage levels in the dam are at 20%, compared to around 70% in previous years.
Cited by Radio MozambiqueAgostinho Vilanculo explained that with the current levels of storage, the capacity to produce enough electricity to feed the country and supply the region is reduced.
"A similar situation occurs in the upstream dams. This water is too little to meet [their needs]. We have an indication that they are no longer turbining. They have very high restrictions, above 80% of energy production restriction levels," he said.
He said, however, that we are not yet in an energy crisis.
"We haven't estimated yet, but if we end up in a situation of energy crisis it will affect the whole region. We know very well that Mozambique exports energy to several countries," he said.
The source said that we should wait until the end of the rainy season "to present more systematic data".
On the other hand, he noted, if the situation prevails, there is a risk of water supply restrictions.
"It's a situation that worries us a lot and we're not expecting much rain in the near future. At least for the next 15 days in that region," he said.
The dam is currently receiving around 800 cubic meters of water per second, but it needs at least 1500 meters of water per second to meet its needs.
"It's not raining. It's a worrying situation," he said.
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