- President Lungu commissions Unit 1 of Kafue Hydroelectric station
- The Chinese funded project will add 150MW to the national grid
- Upon completion, the hydroelectric station will generate 750MW
President Edgar Lungu of Zambia has commissioned Unit 1 of the Kafue Hydroelectric power station. The unit will add 150MW to the country’s national grid. The Kafue station project, upon completion, will add a total of 750MW to Zambia’s national grid.
The $2 billion power project is financed and implemented by China’s Sinohydro company in the south of Lusaka. When completed, the power station will consist of five units of 150 MW each, which will supply the grid of the state-owned Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO).
President Lungu, who spoke at the commissioning, said, ”The commissioning of this power plant today is a demonstration of our determination to fight cynicism to give this country a solid foundation of energy security,” The facility will meet the growing demand for electricity in the country and also, mitigate the electricity deficit supporting continued economic progress.
Sinohydro started construction of the new facility in November 2015, with commissioning planned from 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, delayed the commissioning of the project.