Hydropower plants to be built on Luapula River, Zambia

• 8 years ago (2015-07-10)
• David Flin

Africa 303

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Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will jointly develop hydropower plants on the Luapula River as a long-term measure to boost power generation. The two countries have signed an inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint project, which will commence in 2017, and be completed by 2020.

Zambia is currently suffering power shortages, due to limited output capacity by ZESCO caused by dwindling water levels in the Kariba Dam and other hydropower plants.

Christopher Yaluma, Mines, Energy, and Water Development Minister for Zambia, and Jeannot Gamanda, Hydraulic Resource and Electricity Minister for the DRC, signed the MoU in Kinshasa, DRC. Once complete, the agreement will increase power output by over 1000 MW.

While the agreement is being implemented, the Zambian Government has said that Zambia will need to import 150-200 MW to mitigate the current power deficit. It has said that it will also develop other renewable energy sources, and the 300 MW coal-fired power plant being constructed by Maamba Collieries in Southern Province is nearly ready for commissioning.

In addition to this agreement, ZESCO and SNEL, the national power utility for the DRC, signed another MoU to construct a 330 kV transmission interconnector from Solwezi in Zambia to Kolwezi in the DRC.