ZAMBIA TO ADD 740MW OF SOLAR POWER ACROSS SEVEN PROVINCES
…..government is targeting energy diversification with major solar and thermal expansion, says HH
Lusaka… Friday September 12, 2025 – President Hakainde Hichilema has emphasized that the new solar projects that will be commissioned over the next 12 months will generate a confirmed total of 740 megawatts for the country.
The Head of State says these solar projects are located across seven provinces which include: Luapula, Central, Southern, Western, Northern, Eastern and Muchinga where the levels of solar energy are most suitable.
Speaking when he officially opened the fifth session of the thirteenth National Assembly in Lusaka, Mr Hichilema said there are numerous private sector driven projects that are currently in development that will take the new solar power generation capacity beyond the target of 1,000 megawatts, over the next 12 months.
“Our fellow citizens. Energy is critical to industrialisation and national development. The current hardships in the power sector have severely affected the livelihoods of our citizens. Small businesses are suffering and incomes are being eroded,” he said.
“We feel the pain and frustration of power outages faced by our citizens which include our families, friends and loved ones. No one has been spared. We strongly recognise that the growth of our economy implies increased demand for electricity and this presents an opportunity for us to increase our generating capacity.”
He committed to deliver new generation capacity through sweeping policy reforms and implement cost reflective tariffs to drive more investment.
“We are undertaking development in transmission infrastructure as well as promoting off-grid power solutions in rural areas beyond the reach of the national grid. We have further liberalised the energy sector with an open access regime which allows access to the grid by any willing developer to any willing off-taker as well as the introduction of private power trading, net metering, tariff blending and interconnectors with neighbouring countries, amongst others,” he added.
“This has created an alternative off-take avenue for developers, in addition to the traditional Zesco off-take. Our over dependence on hydro-electric power which currently stands at 85 percent of our energy mix has exposed our vulnerability to climate change. We are diversifying the energy mix to make the sub-sector resilient to climate change and increase our generation capacity. Notable interventions include the 94 megawatts Copperbelt energy corporation Itimpi solar power station and the 100 megawatts Chisamba solar phase-1 project, which we recently commissioned.”
He said works on the 136 megawatts Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) Itimpi Solar Power Station phase-2 are on-going, while phase-2 of the 100 megawatts Chisamba Solar Project will be commencing soon.
“Last year, we launched the construction of the 300 megawatts Maamba thermal power plant phase-2 expansion project which is targeted for completion mid next year,” he stated.
“In order to ensure energy sufficiency and surplus, our focus is to develop solar and thermal capacity which are not vulnerable to the impact of climate change.”