MINISTER KAPALA MOVES TO ADDRESS INVESTOR BOTTLENECKS IN 10,000MW POWER GENERATION DRIVE
Minister of Electricity Eng Peter Kapala has called for concerted efforts to address bottlenecks facing power generation projects as Government accelerates its ambition to increase Zambia’s electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts (MW) by 2031.
During a familiarisation visit to the Energy Regulation Board (ERB), Eng Kapala said Government was keen to translate growing investor interest into actual electricity generation projects.
The Minister has since called for a meeting with renewable energy developers to understand the challenges affecting project implementation and identify practical solutions.
Particular attention would be given to challenges preventing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) from reaching financial close, stressing that the country needed to move quickly from project proposals to actual investments if the 10,000MW target was to be achieved within the next four years.
Eng Kapala also called for the speedy finalisation of the Independent System Operator framework and accelerated development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, noting that investors were already showing interest in the electric mobility sector.
He further underscored the need to expand transmission infrastructure to support increased power generation and expressed hope that the Zambia-Tanzania power interconnector would be completed to meet growing electricity demand, particularly from the mining sector.
The Minister expressed optimism about the growth of the electricity sector but emphasised the need for closer collaboration among stakeholders to remove implementation bottlenecks and unlock available investments.
Welcoming the Minister, ERB Board Chairperson Mr James Banda said the Board was pleased with Government’s decision to establish a dedicated Ministry of Electricity, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the Ministry in achieving its objectives and the national 10,000MW generation target.
The Board informed the Minister that energy projects which had obtained PPAs had a cumulative proposed generation capacity of more than 16,000MW. Mr Banda said the figures demonstrated investor confidence and a positive response to Government’s energy sector policies.
He, however, identified securing financial close as a major challenge in translating the proposed projects into actual investments.
On net metering, ERB Director General Eng Elijah Sichone reported that the programme had reached approximately 32MW against a target of 100MW, calling for collective efforts among stakeholders to accelerate progress towards the set target.
ERB also informed the Minister of growing investor interest in electric mobility, presenting an opportunity for Zambia to expand its electric vehicle charging infrastructure.