Longer electricity woes as Maamba plant goes silent
By a Correspondent
THE Maamba Energy Limited has announced that it will begin scheduled maintenance shutdowns for its two thermal power generation units as part of its routine plant care programme.
This is expected to increase the load shedding hours the country is facing.
According to Maamba Energy Limited, the first unit will shutdown from August 17 to 31.
The company said the second shutdown would be effected from September 7 to 21.
Speaking during a joint media tour with Zesco Limited, Maamba Energy Limited’s chief executive officer, Cyrus Minwalla, said the scheduled outages were in line with global best practices in thermal power plant management and were essential to maintaining the plant’s exceptional efficiency levels.
Minwalla said the shutdowns would be staggered, noting that only one of the two 150 MW units would go offline at a time, to minimise the impact of power supply.
“We won’t shut both units down at once. One unit will go into maintenance while the other continues to operate. That way, we maintain some level of generation at all times,” he said.
He explained that every 4,000 hours of continuous operation, which translated into every six months, the plant must be shut down for about 15 days per unit for comprehensive maintenance, in accordance with standards recommended by the original equipment manufacturers.
“This maintenance is non-negotiable. It is what keeps the plant running efficiently and prevents unexpected breakdowns,” he said.
