CGM Power Group Ltd., an independent power producer (IPP), is requesting expressions of interest from engineering, procurement and construction companies for the development of a 50 MW on-grid solar plant in northern Zambia.
Zambian IPP CGM Power Group has announced a call for expressions of interest to develop a 50 MW on-grid solar plant in Chipili, a town in Luapula province, northern Zambia.
The call is aimed at local and international engineering, procurement and construction companies. According to tender documents, the chosen company will design, plan, engineer, procure, schedule, obtain permits, construct, test, commission, operate and maintain the project.
It is envisaged that the solar plant, to be built on a 250-hectare site, will also include a battery energy storage system with a minimum capacity of 5 MW and a maximum capacity of 10 MW. Transmission lines will be built to connect to the Mwenda Zesco substation 29 km away, as well as a solar plant at the Luongo Mine, located 22 km away.
The first stage of the tender is a request for prequalification, to be followed by a second stage which will require prequalified applicants to complete a request for proposals. The deadline to submit prequalification applications is June 14, 2024.
Zambia had 124 MW of cumulative installed solar at the end of 2023, up from 89 MW at the end of 2022, according to statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Earlier this month, Zambian sustainable energy company GEI Power and Turkish developer YEO said they are constructing a 60 MW solar plant with a 20 MWh battery energy storage system in southern Zambia.