State company Zesco has completed the 100 MW Chisamba Solar Farm in South Zambia.
The project, invoiced as the largest solar facility connected to schedule in Zambia and the largest of its kind in Africa Bezuiden de Sahara outside South Africa, is now ready to be taken into use. According to a statement from the company, there are now plans to develop a second 100 MW phase on the site.
It was developed by sixco’s subsidiary Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corp. (KNEPC), where Power China worked as the engineering, purchasing and construction contractor.
Zesco and KNBEPC each gave $ 30 million in equity for the $ 100 million project, while Stanbic Bank Zambia led a loan to cover the remaining 70%.
Greenco Power Services arranged a 13-year-old electricity purchase agreement, where First Quantum Minerals (FQM) served as the offtaker.
Zesco said in a post on social media that the agreement allows it to take an equivalent number of electricity that would otherwise have gone to FQM and it would be referred to houses and companies. “This helps us to meet domestic demand directly and plays an important role in reducing the burden,” the company wrote.
The cumulative solar capacity of Zambia was reached by the end of 2024 196 MW, an increase of 134 MW at the end of 2023, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
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