The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has acquired electrical equipment from China to replace the power utility's obsolete infrastructure in Harare and to light new suburbs in the city.

The move is expected to improve electricity distribution in different parts of the city, whose supplies were, in some instances, being affected by ageing infrastructure.

The Zesa Holdings board of directors, the parastatal's chairman, Sydney Gata, was quoted by Sunday Mail as saying that 166 service vehicles were also part of the consignment.

He said the equipment, which was financed through tobacco exports, was brought into the country over the past three weeks and would this week be officially handed over to the Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company.

Among critical components are transformers, switchgears, circuit breakers and meters. The equipment will be dispatched for installation immediately after this week's hand-over ceremony.

"We have done very well in the area of non-recourse finance for the purchase of power supplies. Already, we have purchased new equipment from China and this was made possible through tobacco exports venture by Zesa Enterprises," he said.

According to the Zesa chief, the equipment would release pressure on the existing infrastructure, which has collapsed under the heavy weight of supply demand. He said the ageing equipment had resulted in seasonal power outages in several parts of Harare.

Gata pointed out that new suburbs were also expected to benefit from this initiative, whose implementation will be spread over the next six months.

Although the focus is on Harare, outlying areas will also get a portion of the consignment.