Zambia: President commissions 100-MW Chisamba Phase II Solar Plant, Says Power Cuts Have Ended

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Tuesday commissioned the $70 million Chisamba Phase II Solar Power Plant, a 100-megawatt (MW) facility that doubles the Chisamba Solar Complex’s generation capacity to 200 MW.

Hichilema said the government’s investments in the energy sector had ended electricity load-shedding, as new generation projects come online and feed power into the national grid.

“The end of load-shedding has nothing to do with elections. It is because projects we initiated are now maturing and delivering power to the grid,” Hichilema said during the commissioning ceremony.

He said the 2024 drought exposed Zambia’s heavy dependence on hydropower and reinforced the government’s commitment to diversify the country’s energy mix through greater investment in solar power.

Hichilema reaffirmed the government’s target of adding 1,000 MW of solar generation capacity by the end of 2026 as part of a broader plan to increase Zambia’s installed electricity generation capacity to 10,000 MW by 2030.

He said the project demonstrated the importance of timely delivery of public infrastructure, noting that while Chisamba Phase I took more than 10 months to complete, Phase II was built in about seven months and created more than 1,400 jobs.

Hichilema said the cost of the project had been reduced from an initial estimate of $100 million to $70 million without compromising quality.

He thanked traditional leaders for making land available for energy infrastructure and called for continued public support as the government accelerates investments to strengthen Zambia’s energy security.

Earlier, Central Province Permanent Secretary Milner Mwanakampwe said the province was emerging as a major energy hub, with projects under development expected to raise installed generation capacity to 437 MW by December 2026.

ZESCO Managing Director Justin Loongo said the additional 100 MW from Chisamba Phase II, together with the existing 100 MW from Phase I, had created Zambia’s largest solar power complex with a combined capacity of 200 MW.

Loongo said the project reflected efforts to diversify Zambia’s electricity mix in response to climate change and thanked the Ministry of Energy, traditional leaders, PowerChina and development partners for supporting its implementation.

Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit Kusobile Kamwambi said the government’s energy diversification strategy was improving electricity security through policy reforms led by the Ministry of Energy.

In a vote of thanks, Chief Chamuka said government reforms had helped attract investment and create jobs in the area.

He urged residents to protect electricity infrastructure from vandalism and pledged to make more land available for the development of an additional 50-MW solar power plant.