Zambia: Energy Ministry Says Power Generation Capacity Grew By Record Amount Over Past Five Years

Zambia has added more electricity generation capacity to its national grid over the past five years than during any other five-year period in the previous 15 years, the Ministry of Energy said.

Installed electricity generation capacity increased to 4,576 megawatts in 2026 from about 3,100 megawatts in 2021, an increase of 1,476 megawatts, the ministry said.

By comparison, projects completed between 2011 and 2021 added about 987 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid.

The increase was driven by the completion of the remaining generating units at the Kafue Gorge Lower hydropower plant, together with a rapid expansion of solar generation and other power projects commissioned across the country.

Installed solar generation capacity rose to about 841 megawatts from around 88 megawatts in 2021. The government is targeting 1,000 megawatts of installed solar capacity by the end of the year.

The ministry said the expansion of generation capacity is continuing, with several major projects under construction or at advanced stages of development.

These include Maamba Phase II, the Gwembe Solar Project, Evergreat Thermal Power Station, Ezra Thermal Power Station and the Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative.

As these projects are completed, Zambia’s installed generation capacity is expected to increase further, the ministry said.

President Hakainde Hichilema has set a target of increasing the country’s installed electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts by 2031.

If the current pipeline of projects is completed as planned, the next five years are expected to deliver the largest expansion of electricity generation capacity in Zambia’s history, supporting energy security and economic growth, the ministry said.