Loveness Madangawa prepares lunch over an open fire in Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe - she has an electric stove, but power cuts caused partly by drought hitting the main hydropower station means she has no choice.

"It is not easy, but I am now used to it," the 35-year-old mother-of-three told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in the densely populated suburb of Dangamvura.

"Electricity is switched off as early as 4am and restored at 10pm. That is bedtime."

Zimbabwe's long-running energy crisis has been exacerbated by southern Africa's worst drought in 40 years, which has seen millions of people go hungry and cut water supplies to the Kariba South hydropower plant on the Zimbabwe/Zambia border.

As food runs scarce for Zimbabwe's 15 million people, so does the power to cook what little there is. Daily scheduled power cuts, known as load-shedding, can last more than 18 hours.

Many people, like Madangawa, are turning to firewood, increasing the planet-heating emissions that are driving climate change in the first place. Those who can afford to use liquefied petroleum gas to power their appliances.

"Electricity is a necessity. This load-shedding needs to stop," Madangawa said.

DROUGHT, DRY DAMS
The unprecedented drought has been fuelled by El Niño, a climate phenomenon that can exacerbate drought or storms - weather conditions that are made more likely by climate change.

Coal-fired thermal plants supply around 42% of Zimbabwe's electricity, while hydropower provides 35%, and private companies, or independent power producers, account for 3%.

Electricity imports from South Africa, Mozambique and other countries make up 20%, according to the state-run Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority.

Water levels at the Kariba South station on the giant Zambezi River, are so low that electricity generation has dropped by more than 80% over the past three months, with the station producing just 185 MW instead of its installed capacity of 1 050 MW a day.

Neighbouring Zambia is also facing power shortages and declared a national drought disaster last February.

In Zimbabwe, the power shortages are taking a heavy toll on an already weak economy.

Tapiwa Dure, a welder who makes steel doors and window frames, said he could only work at night when electricity was turned back on.

"The situation is bad. At times after waiting, electricity is only switched on for two hours," said the 31-year-old, who works in Dangamvura.

Dure said his monthly earnings had dropped by 50% since the loadshedding intensified.

"Diesel-powered generators drive up the costs of business because fuel is expensive," he said.

LONG HISTORY OF BLACKOUTS
Zimbabweans have long experience with blackouts, exacerbated by ageing equipment at power plants and foreign currency shortages that meant authorities cannot pay for imports.

The climate has also been a factor before: in 2019, loadshedding lasted more than 12 hours each day after a drought caused water levels to fall in Lake Kariba, which feeds the Kariba South plant.

That is the problem again now. According to a hydrological survey by the Zambezi River Authority, a jointly owned entity that manages the man-made reservoir for Zimbabwe and Zambia, as of Jan. 13, the dam was only 3% full, down from 13% in the same period last year.

Victor Bhoroma, an economic analyst, said power shortages curtailed economic growth and led to massive job losses.

"Most manufacturers are having to cut down on labour headcount and work with limited shifts to manage costs," Bhoroma said. "This means challenges to meet demand and unfair competition from imports."

Zimbabwe's power shortages are estimated to cost the country around 6% of gross domestic product each year, according to the World Bank.

RENEWABLES TO THE RESCUE?
Zimbabwean authorities have long called for the expansion of renewable energy, but a lack of effective policies has stood in the way, energy experts have said.

In 2023, the State power utility ZESA said it aimed to more than double national grid capacity by 2025 to respond to increased demand from the mining sector.

At the time, ZESA said growth could come from floating solar projects at Kariba dam, increased generation at the coal-fed Hwange plant and opportunities for independent power producers.

But that target has not been reached, although the government did add two electricity generation units at the Hwange plant in 2023, at a cost of $1.5-billion.

Tendayi Marowa, an energy management and climate change mitigation consultant, said Zimbabwe was relying on coal-fired power plants, but they were susceptible to breakdowns.

Zimbabwe and Zambia are planning to build another hydroelectric power station at Batoka Gorge on the Zambezi.

Zimbabwe has also mooted plans to add more solar power into its energy mix. In 2019, the government scrapped duty on solar panels and related products, like small home solar units.

The government is also asking companies that consume more electricity, like mining firms, to produce their own power. Last year, Zimplats, which mines platinum, commissioned a 34 MW solar plant as part of a planned 185 MW solar project.

But a volatile currency, lack of finance, high taxes, huge debt and bureaucracy create barriers to renewable investments.

In April last year, Zimbabwe launched a new gold-backed currency, Zimbabwe Gold or ZiG, but it has lost around 48% of its value since then and was devalued in late September.

Marowa said investors were deterred by how difficult it was to repatriate profits in dollars while local companies struggled to get commercial financing to expand.

Bureaucracy was another problem, he said.

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries says Zimbabwe has one of the highest tax burdens on business in the region. The renewable energy sector is pushing the government to remove value-added tax on solar products to make them cheaper.

In the meantime, some Zimbabweans have installed solar panels, but the cost is prohibitive for many.

Marowa, who also consults for the government, said authorities should increase tariffs to maintain the utility's margins and link solar plants to the grid.

"There is potential for solar in Zimbabwe. However, many small solar plants are not tied to the grid."