Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) is to increase the amount of energy supplied to its Zambian counterpart ZESCO from 50 to 90 MegaWatts (MW), according to a statement issued yesterday (05) by the state-owned national electricity company.

To this end, an addendum was signed on Thursday in Lusaka to the initial contract with ZESCO, signed a year ago in Luanda, for the purchase and sale of electricity to Zambia to make up for the energy deficit the country is facing due to the drought affecting its hydroelectric dams.

The amendment aims to extend the validity of the agreement and revise the commercial terms, namely the price and volumes of electricity.

"Not only do we want to trade more volumes of electricity, but we also want to establish partnerships in the sector, as well as generate the trust needed to improve trade," explained the PCA, quoted in an EDM statement.

On the same occasion, the Mozambican state-owned electricity company reaffirmed that it was ready to make up for the electricity shortfall that Zambia is currently experiencing, due to the drought affecting its hydroelectric dams and, consequently, its power generation capacity.

Marcelino Alberto also said that "the 400kV interconnection line between Mozambique and Zambia should be built in the medium term. This infrastructure is on the list of priority projects to improve direct energy trade in large volumes between the two countries, as well as for the SAPP (Southern African Power Pool) market".

For his part, ZESCO's General Manager praised the strong partnership between the two companies and their commitment to strengthening the stability and growth of the electricity sector in the SADC region.

"The additional contracted capacity makes a significant effort to mitigate the electricity deficit in Zambia, which should make up for the shortfall in supply to essential loads in the services and production sectors," Mapani stressed.