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Zambia cuts Zimbabwe power supply
BBC News
January 23, 2008

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7204350.stm

Zambia has said it will no longer share power with Zimbabwe, as electricity problems spread across southern Africa.

Zambia made the move to safeguard its supply after suffering severe power disruptions over the past few days.

It comes after South Africa reduced its energy exports to its neighbours, including Zambia.

South Africa has been suffering from a lack of spare capacity after failing to anticipate the growth of domestic demand over the past decade.

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South Africa has been experiencing daily power cuts over the past fortnight.

Its reduction in exports may have played a role in two major nationwide power cuts in Zambia over the past few days.

Copper mining companies in Zambia say the recent outages have cost them millions of dollars.

Many within the country are calling for the dismantling of Zambia's giant power company Zesco, to make it more responsive to emergencies.

Zimbabwe is believed to import about 40% of its electricity and has had trouble paying its bills because of its lack of foreign currency.

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