People Are Laughing at 10,000MW Because They Think Electricity Is Just About Lights

OFFICE OF COMMON SENSE

People Are Laughing at 10,000MW Because They Think Electricity Is Just About Lights

One thing Common Sense has noticed is that when people hear “10,000 megawatts,” they immediately start laughing as if someone has announced plans to power Mars. Yet when you look at what’s already happening, the picture changes quickly.

There is the 600MW Sinazongwe Solar Project, the 600MW-plus Kyiindu Solar Project, Maamba’s planned 700MW coal and solar expansion, Mukuni’s 200MW coal project, over 1,000MW of solar projects being pursued by ZESCO, Chisamba’s additional 100MW, and another 100MW planned for Chipata. Add to that solar plants already built or underway, including CEC’s 60MW plant, Chisamba’s 100MW facility, Coma Solar’s 60MW, Pensulo’s 100MW, Mansa’s 100MW, and Nambala’s 15MW. Suddenly, the journey to 10,000MW doesn’t sound like a joke. It sounds like a construction site.

The bigger problem is that many people think electricity is only about charging phones and keeping the lights on. No. Electricity powers mines, factories, farms, hospitals, and industries. A mine without power is just an expensive hole in the ground. A factory without power is a building full of machines enjoying an extended holiday. This is why energy matters. It creates jobs, attracts investment, and grows the economy. In fact, electricity itself can become something Zambia sells, just like copper. Power can be exported and earn foreign exchange for the country.

Perhaps the most exciting part is that opportunities are opening up for ordinary citizens too. Marketeers could organize and install solar panels on market rooftops. Colleges and universities could generate excess power and sell it. Entrepreneurs can become power traders, connecting power producers with large buyers such as mines and factories. And because Zambia is gradually moving from relying mostly on hydro to a mix of hydro, solar, and thermal power, the next drought should not hurt as much as those of 2016, 2020, and 2023. Sometimes Common Sense wonders if people are laughing at the future simply because they haven’t taken the time to look at it.

The question is no longer whether Zambia can produce more power. The question is whether we are ready for the opportunities that come with it.