Zambia has reached financial close on a 100 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Chisamba. Expected to enter commercial operation as early as July, the plant will be the country’s largest grid-tied solar development. It is also intended to ease pressure on the national grid by offsetting industrial demand as the country continues to face widespread load shedding.
The project is being developed by Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corporation (KNBEPC) – not to be confused with the Kariba North Bank Extension hydropower project despite the similarity in naming – a subsidiary of ZESCO, the Zambian power utility. GreenCo Power Services, the offtakers, have signed a 13-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with ZESCO to supply energy to First Quantum Minerals (FQM), a Zambian mining investor, under a separate power supply agreement. The engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Power China, has begun construction.
“Zambia continues to experience national load shedding due to reduced hydropower output. Once operational, the KNBEPC solar plant will add urgently needed clean energy to the national grid and support energy security – without placing pressure on the public purse,” the project developers said.
GreenCo is expected to provide continuous supply to FQM by blending solar generation with electricity traded through the Southern African Power Pool.
“The power that FQM will now receive from this new solar plant will free up an equivalent volume of ZESCO’s existing supply, which we will redirect to serve domestic customers,” said Justin Loongo, MD of ZESCO. “In the midst of the current power challenges, this project shows how collaboration is helping to relieve pressure on the grid and bring tangible benefits to the Zambian people,” he added.
Once the PPA term ends, all electricity generated by the solar PV facility will be delivered to ZESCO.
