Zambia to approve another coal-fired power plant

• 10 months ago (2024-12-11)
• David Flin

Africa 347 Coal 338 Hydropower 149

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Zambia, which currently gets 85 per cent of its electricity from hydropower, is about to approve its third coal-fired power plant in a year.

The country is undergoing its most severe drought in over a century, and water levels have been significantly reduced, leading to shortages of electricity and concomitant price increases. The combination of reduction in hydropower availability and rapidly growing demand resulted in its national power regulator approving coal-fired power plants.

As a result, Zambia’s Ministry of Energy and the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) approved a $900 million coal-fired power plant to be built by a Chinese company, the third in the country.