Zesco has completed the 100 MW Chisamba solar farm in southern Zambia and has launched plans for a second 100 MW phase at the site, now home to sub-Saharan Africa’s largest grid-connected solar plant outside South Africa.
State-owned power company Zesco has completed the 100 MW Chisamba solar farm in southern Zambia.
The project, billed as the largest grid-connected solar facility in Zambia and the biggest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa, is now ready to be commissioned. According to a statement from the company, plans are now underway to develop a second 100 MW phase at the site.
It was developed by Zesco’s subsidiary Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corp. (Knepc), with Power China working as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
Zesco and Knbepc each provided $30 million in equity for the $100 million project, while Stanbic Bank Zambia led a loan to cover the remaining 70%.
GreenCo Power Services arranged a 13-year power purchase agreement, with First Quantum Minerals (FQM) serving as the offtaker.
Zesco said in a social media post that the agreement allows it to take an equivalent amount of electricity that would have otherwise gone to FQM and redirect it to homes and businesses. “This directly helps us meet domestic demand and plays a significant role in lessening load shedding,” the company wrote.
Zambia’s cumulative solar capacity had reached 196 MW by the end of 2024, up from 134 MW at the end of 2023, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).