Mansa solar project to power 20,000 households
By Thandizo Banda in Mansa
OVER 20,000 households are set to benefit from the 50-Megawatt solar power plant in Mansa District in Luapula Province, to be completed next month.
Power utility ZESCO Limited has embarked on a large-scale solar power initiative to diversify its energy mix and reduce dependence on climate-vulnerable hydroelectric power.
The project is part of a broader government plan to add 1,000 MW of solar capacity to the national grid by the end of the year.
Speaking after touring the plant on Friday, ZESCO Limited board chairperson Vickson Ncube said the 48-million-dollar Mansa 50-megawatt solar power project had reached 75 percent completion, with its commissioning expected next month.
Ncube said the project, which sits on 50 hectares of land in Chief Mabumba’s Chiefdom, began in 2023 and was fully owned by Zesco Limited and was being implemented by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC).
“As you may be aware, the country is facing a challenge in the energy sector, particularly the generation of electricity. We are optimistic that the Mansa solar energy power plant will add to the targeted 1000-megawatt renewable energy, to be supported by several solar installations across the country,” he said.
He said Zambia was making significant progress in tackling the load shedding, which had negatively impacted businesses.
Ncube said so far, about 300 megawatts had been added to the national grid out of the 1000-megawatt target aimed at reducing the current power deficit.
And CMEC assistant site manager, Lewis Liu, said the Mansa solar energy project had employed over 200 workers so far.
“We are committed to fully completing the project on schedule to beat the December 2025 deadline,” said Liu.
