A BRIGHTER Zambia is loading as the country has taken a bold leap out of the shadows of load shedding with the commissioning of the 100-megawatt Chisamba Solar PV Plant.
This also happens to be the largest single site solar project in the country’s history this far.
President Hakainde Hichilema turned on the future yesterday as he commissioned the US$100 million power plant in Chisamba District, Central Province.
The Head of State explained that the solar plant is a game changer that is expected to feed clean energy to about 30,000 to 50,000 households across the country.
The clean energy generated will not only reduce the pressure on the overburdened national grid but also slash carbon dioxide emissions by a staggering 120,000 tonnes annually.
“This is not just another project, this is part of a bigger vision. It’s about giving Zambians back their power, their time, their dignity,” declared President Hichilema.
“This project will make our environment greener by taking away carbon emissions. This project means jobs, allowing our farmers in Central province to irrigate this June, every month should be a planting season. This project means that we can keep the mines running, those projects that needed power, we can now conserve water during the day, we can now generate more solar in the day,” said President Hichilema.
And the President made it clear that the Chisamba plant was not a one hit wonder but the first major milestone in his administration’s ambitious plan to onboard 1,000 megawatts of solar power.
The initiative seeks to break Zambia free from the grip of unpredictable hydroelectricity generation that has plunged homes and industries into darkness for months.
The solar power plant, built in record time of 10 months, boasts 180,356 bifacial solar panels ready to soak up the sun and spit out stable, reliable power, every single day.
“This is a beautiful story. Even if you don’t like some people, you have to like what they do. This is what we should be spending time on,” he stated.
During the construction phase, over 1,300 jobs were created, most of them scooped up by locals, breathing economic life into the district and fulfilling the 30 percent local content threshold set by the Zambia Development Agency Act.
The President further revealed that Zesco was working on phase two of the solar plant which will see another 100 megawatts.
President Hichilema stated that with the way Zambia is investing in different sources of power, there will come a time when the country will produce a lot and start exporting which he described as a way of creating revenue for the country.
“We will reach an extent when we will generate more power and export, because if we don’t export, another country will take away our spot,” he said.
And Energy Minister Makozo Chikote said the solar plant will help reduce the country’s load shedding.
Chikote urged Chisamba residents and the country at large to take pride in the asset and guard it jealously.
“This plant will help in providing power during the day and hydro power will be used during the night. We hope that every marketeer, every business person that relies on electricity can see change moving forward,” he said.
Zesco managing director Justin Loongo stated that the lights being switched on symbolise hope and progress and the country’s commitment to acquiring energy sufficiency.
“This is the first site to go live under the solar explosion agenda. And I want to assure citizens that as Zesco, we are not oblivious to the pain that comes with load shedding. We must celebrate this milestone because it was completed under 10 months and it is the first along many other plants coming,” he stated.
As Zambians groan under the weight of daily power cuts, enduring just five hours of electricity per day, the Chisamba solar plant feels like a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, July 1 2025
