The Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station (KGU), is an operational

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

plant across the

Kafue River The long Kafue River is the longest river lying wholly within Zambia. Its water is used for irrigation and for generating Hydroelectricity, hydroelectric power. It is the largest tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Location

KGU is located on the Kafue River, approximately , by road, south of

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

, the capital and largest city in Zambia. This is approximately upstream of where the Kafue River empties into the

Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

, and approximately upstream of the

Kafue Gorge Lower Power Station Kafue Gorge Lower Power Station (KGL), is a hydroelectric power station in Zambia. Background As of 2017, according to USAID, Zambia had installed generating capacity of 2,800 megawatts. Of these, 2,380 megawatts (85 percent) was hydroelec ...

. The geographical coordinates of Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station are:15°48'25.0"S, 28°25'16.0"E (Latitude:-15.806944; Longitude:28.421111).

Overview

KGU is an earth-rockfill dam with a concrete spillway with four radial gates. The electromechanical capacity is six generators of 150 megawatts each, for maximum capacity of 900 megawatts. The reservoir measures in surface area. The power generators and electromechanical power house are below ground. The water effluent from the 900-megawatt Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station is used downstream to power the 750-megawatt Kafue Gorge Lower Power Station, in what is known as ''cascaded generation''.

History

Construction of this power station started in 1967. In 1971, the first 150 megawatt turbine was installed and commissioned. Three other turbines were installed and commissioned in 1972. At some point between 1973 and 2009, two more turbines of 150 megawatts each, were installed to bring the generating capacity at the power station to 900 megawatts. The station currently has an installed capacity of 990 MW with 6 generators of 165-MW capacity each. The power plant has a 330 kV power line output.

References

External links

Official Website of ZESCO
{{Authority control Power stations in Zambia Kafue River Kafue District Underground power stations Energy infrastructure completed in 1973 Hydroelectric power stations in Zambia