Miners at two copper mines in Zambia were rescued after being trapped underground following a nationwide power outage on Monday. A blackout that managed to snare people deep below the surface of the earth. This black-out disaster also spread to neighboring Zimbabwe, where both countries are struggling with the impact of a massive drought that’s draining their already fragile power grids.
The blackout came about after a “power system disturbance” hit Zambia, leaving the country’s energy supply in shambles. Zesco, Zambia’s state utility, confirmed the nationwide outage. The incident affected two mines: Mopani Copper Mines, majority-owned by United Arab Emirates’ International Resources Holding, and another Chinese-run mine.
But of course, While Peter Mumba, Zambia’s energy permanent secretary, confirmed that miners were trapped, he kept the exact number of victims as a secret. He did assure the public, though, that everyone had been safely rescued
Meanwhile, the outage was just another issue in the ongoing electricity rationing saga that has become all too common in the southern African region. Both Zambia and Zimbabwe are victims of an unforgiving drought that has crippled hydropower generation. To make matters worse, Zambia’s largest hydroelectric power plant, the Kariba North Bank Power Station, which boasts an installed capacity of 1,080 megawatts, is now dishing out a meager 120 megawatts due to insufficient water levels. Mukupa Mulenga, the station’s maintenance manager, admitted that they’re keeping the plant running with just one unit that’s not even close to its maximum capacity. A far cry from what is needed to sustain the country’s energy demands.
As for the cause of this latest outage, Zesco’s Acting Managing Director, Justin Longo, suggested it wasn’t because of low generation at the Kariba dam, although, with such a tiny output, it’s hard to believe that wasn’t a contributing factor. He mentioned that the reason for the disturbance is under investigation, which, is just a polite way of saying “We don’t know what happened, but we’ll figure it out later.”
The country’s reliance on hydropower has left it completely vulnerable to nature. And it’s not just power outages disrupting the country there’s the issue of electricity rationing, which has led to longer hours of blackouts. It’s no surprise that industries, including copper mining, are being hit hard. With Zambia being Africa’s second-largest copper producer, and its economy heavily dependent on mining, can the country continue to survive on such a brittle energy grid?
