UPND Government to use Chisamba Solar Plant in a Calculated Move to Benefit few elites using Money From ZESCO While Zambians Suffer in Darkness – Kasonde Mwenda C EFF President

CHISAMBA SOLAR PLANT SCANDAL: UPND Government to use Chisamba Solar Plant in a Calculated Move to Benefit few elites using Money From ZESCO While Zambians Suffer in Darkness – Kasonde Mwenda C EFF President

Urgent PRESS STATEMENT

1st July 2025

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Zambia is deeply disturbed by the blatant betrayal of the Zambian people by the UPND government through the deliberate and calculated misuse of the Chisamba Solar Power Plant project. What should have been a beacon of hope for energy sustainability and economic inclusion has been turned into a money-laundering conduit for the benefit of a privileged few.

At the heart of this scandal lies a shocking and illogical contract arrangement: ZESCO, our national power utility, funded the $71.5 million Chisamba Solar Plant through debt financing from Stanbic Bank Zambia, only to be pushed aside in favour of GreenCo Power Services, a private energy trader. This company – whose links to the UPND elite are no secret – was granted a 13-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to exclusively sell electricity to First Quantum Minerals (FQM).

Let us be clear: this is public infrastructure, funded through public debt, built on Zambian soil – and yet, Zambians are deliberately locked out of the benefits. While ZESCO remains shackled to the financial obligations and future costs of maintaining this plant, including the burden of obsolete infrastructure after the contract period, GreenCo and their political sponsors will walk away with millions of dollars in profits.

President Hakainde Hichilema has once again misinformed the people. When he stood before the residents of Chisamba and promised them electricity from this plant, he knew full well that a deal had already been signed to divert every megawatt of power to the mines – not to households, not to farmers, not to clinics, not to schools.

Meanwhile, Zambians continue to suffer under 14 hours of daily load shedding. Rural communities like Chisamba – the very land where the plant stands – remain in the dark, while the UPND government pretends to be solving the energy crisis.

EFF Zambia Demands:
Immediate cancellation or renegotiation of the GreenCo PPA to ensure that electricity generated from Chisamba Solar serves Zambian households and critical infrastructure first.

Full public disclosure of all contracts, financial arrangements, and shareholder interests in GreenCo Power Services and the Chisamba project.

A parliamentary inquiry into the role of ZESCO, the Ministry of Energy, and the Office of the President in this scandal.

A halt to all future privatization of energy assets until a national energy benefits framework is enacted to prioritize Zambian citizens.

This is not just mismanagement – it is state capture through energy infrastructure. The UPND government has weaponized our public institutions for private gain, and Zambians are paying the price with darkness, job losses, and skyrocketing costs of living.

The EFF will not stand by and watch as our people are robbed of their national wealth. We call on every citizen, civil society organization, and the media to expose this injustice and demand accountability.

This is more than a solar plant – it is a symbol of UPND’s betrayal.

Wherever we want to go our feet will take us there.

Kasonde Mwenda C
President
Economic Freedom Fighters – Zambia