Zambia commissioned a 100-megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Chisamba District, Central Province, on 30 June 2025, as part of the country’s strategy to diversify its energy sources.
The solar power plant was constructed with an investment of USD 100 million by PowerChina International Group Limited. The facility covers 106 hectares and comprises 180,356 solar panels.
It aims to reduce Zambia’s reliance on hydroelectric power, which is vulnerable to climate shocks such as prolonged droughts, and is part of a wider government plan to increase national power generation capacity to 1,000 MW by the end of 2025.
President Hakainde Hichilema stated that the Chisamba plant will enable farmers to adopt irrigation farming using solar energy and support stable power supply for mining operations.
He directed Zambian national power utility Zesco to allocate a portion of the plant’s output to economic activities in Central Province and called for the immediate start of the project’s second phase.
The Chisamba solar plant is one of several renewable projects being implemented under Zesco’s guidance, with similar plants planned in Kasama, Choma, Chipata, Serenje, Siavonga, and Kafue Gorge, as Zambia seeks to leverage its solar resources for national development.
Earlier in June, the Mailo Solar PV Power Plant in Mailo Chiefdom in Serenje District reached a milestone of injecting 25 MW into the Zambian electricity grid.
