Zesco Limited has set itself a target of 11,630 megawatts of installed generation capacity by 2030, beating the Government's 10,000MW goal under the Grow Zambia Agenda by 1,630MW and arriving a full year before the 2031 deadline.
Managing director Eng. Justin Loongo laid out the plan when Electricity Minister Peter Kapala visited the utility's headquarters in Lusaka, according to LusakaTimes.com. He said Zesco had aligned its planning with the national target but was now chasing a higher figure through investment in solar, hydro, wind, thermal and other technologies.
Zambian power in Zambian hands, and in record quantities
Here is what that means for our people. The expansion would more than treble the 3,307MW of installed capacity Zambia had in 2021. Zesco director of transmission operations and trade Lioko Sitali said the 2030 mix would include 4,126MW from solar, 3,970MW from hydropower, 3,234MW from thermal sources and 200MW from wind, among others.
On those numbers, solar would overtake hydropower as the largest single source of power. That is a deep break for a country whose electricity has for decades depended on the water levels at Kariba and Kafue. When drought bites, the whole nation sits in darkness. That era is ending, and not a moment too soon.
The shift is already under way. Kapala welcomed the fall in hydropower's share of the national energy mix from 85 per cent to 34 per cent, saying it showed real progress in diversifying generation after droughts exposed the danger of relying on a single source. The Zambian Observer reported that Kapala also backed the push for universal electricity access by 2030, including in rural communities, so that no Zambian village is left behind.
From a utility on the brink to millions in revenue
Loongo said the utility was assessing renewable technologies and exploring partnerships and financing models to speed up the development and commissioning of new projects. He stressed that new plants would mean little without the lines to carry their power.