Maamba Solar Energy Limited has begun feeding electricity from its 100 MW solar plant into Zambia’s national grid as the project enters commissioning, the company said.
The plant, located in Maamba in the southern Sinazongwe district, began injecting power on September 24 as part of commissioning.
The milestone does not mark the start of full commercial operations.
The facility uses bifacial solar panels mounted on systems that track the sun during the day to increase electricity generation.
Maamba Solar Energy Limited is owned by Nava Global Pte. Ltd. and ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc. China’s SINOMA Energy Conservation Ltd. is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
The project has a long-term power purchase agreement with state utility ZESCO Limited.
The solar plant will complement Maamba Energy Limited’s thermal power portfolio, which comprises 300 MW in operation and another 300 MW under construction.
Once all the projects are complete, the solar and thermal facilities will have a combined installed capacity of 700 MW.
“The commencement of commissioning of the 100 MW MSEL Solar Power Project is an important milestone for MSEL and for Zambia,” Maamba Solar Energy Chief Executive Cyrus Minwalla said.
“The project will add renewable generation capacity to Zambia’s power system and represents an important step towards further diversification of the country’s energy mix and strengthening energy security.”
The project forms part of Zambia’s efforts to expand solar generation capacity.
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