Lusaka, Nov 7 (IANS): Zambia's national power utility has announced that consumers will have a power supply for seven hours a day, up from three hours.

Zesco Ltd said in a statement that the daily rotational power supply hours were extended after tariffs were raised.

"This adjustment aims to enhance service reliability by optimising power imports and maximising contributions from independent power producers wherever possible," the statement said.

It warned that occasional changes may occur due to factors like power import availability or unexpected challenges, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last month, the Energy Regulation Board, the country's energy regulator, allowed Zesco to raise electricity prices, and one of the conditions it set was the provision of a seven-hour daily power supply.

Zesco had applied for the emergency rate hike to enable the utility to raise $15 million a month from retail customers to contribute toward the importation of 788 megawatts of power to ease the shortage.

In recent weeks, consumers have been subjected to only three hours' daily rotational supply.

Zambia is facing a major electricity shortage due to reduced water levels in its major hydropower plants following poor rains during the 2023/2024 rainy season. Hydropower accounts for over 80 per cent of Zambia's energy needs.