Power Cuts Continue in Maputo Province

 Power cuts are continuing to disrupt life in parts of Maputo city and province because, despite weeks of efforts by Mozambican and Portuguese technical staff, it has not yet proved possible to repair the Matola sub-station, which is a critical part of the electricity grid in southern Mozambique.At a Tuesday press conference in Matola, Neves Xavier, the director of the southern operational area of the publicly-owned electricity company, EDM, said that, with the repairs at the Matola sub-station still not complete, power is being distributed from the Infulene sub-station, which does not have the same capacity.The press conference was held jointly by EDM, the Maputo regional water company, and Matola Municipal Council in order to inform Matola citizens why they are still facing restrictions in their electricity and water supplies.There are two transformers at the Matola sub-station. One broke down in March, and the second was knocked out by a bolt of lightning on 30 September. Repairs to the second transformer were carried out, but when the equipment was switched on, it failed the tests.Xavier assured the press conference that the alternative lines via Infulene are being used at their maximum capacity to supply electricity during peak times, and that EDM is doing all in its power to restore the Matola sub-station to working order. To make matters worse, five pylons had been blown down in high winds in the Boane area, about 30 kilometres west of Maputo.EDM is now taking the damaged equipment back to the manufacturer in Portugal for repairs, and Xavier admitted he did not know when this work would be completed. Meanwhile, EDM is continuing to rehabilitate the Maputo and Matola transmission lines to improve the quality of the electricity supplied to clients, Xavier added. He said that so far this year 12,000 new connections had been made in the southern operational area, and this number should reach 14,000 by the end of December.