Zimbabwe’s finance minister has more than doubled the cost of power.

The country has been facing chronic power shortages since May and daily blackouts last for up to 18 hours in most areas.

In a mid-term budget review, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube hiked the price of power, from 10 cents per kilowatt hour to 27 cents.

That’s for farmers and ordinary households.

Miners and exporters will have to settle their electricity bills in US dollars, at a rate of between six and nine US cents per kilowatt hour.

The state power company had been pushing for an upward review of its prices to help it remain viable.

The higher power costs will have an impact on shop prices and the wallets of hard-pressed Zimbabweans.

Though it remains to be seen whether the adjustments will do anything to ease severe load shedding.