The Zambia Riverside Solar Power Station is a 34 megawatts

solar power plant A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building ...

in Zambia. The privately owned solar farm was originally commissioned in April 2018, as a 1 MW power station by

Copperbelt Energy Corporation Copperbelt Energy Corporation Plc (CEC) is a Zambian electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply company with operations in Zambia and Nigeria. The company is listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (symbol: CECZ) Operations Zambia ...

(CEC), who own the energy infrastructure. In December 2021, CEC signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with

Sinohydro Sinohydro (; full name: 中国水利水电建设集团公司) is a Chinese state-owned enterprise engaged in hydropower and civil engineering construction. It is a major subsidiary of the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) and ...

to expand the solar farm by 33 extra MW over the next 12 months. CEC transmits and distributes the power to its customers in the

Copperbelt Province Copperbelt Province is a province in Zambia which covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the imme ...

of Zambia.

Location

The 1 MW power station was located on a piece of property measuring , adjacent to the main campus of

Copperbelt University The Copperbelt University is a public university in Kitwe, Zambia. It is the second largest public university in Zambia. The language of instruction at the university is English. Overview The Copperbelt University is a public university establi ...

, in the Riverside neighborhood in the city of

Kitwe Kitwe is the third largest city in terms of infrastructure development (after Lusaka and Ndola) and second largest city in terms of size and population (after Lusaka) in Zambia. With a population of 517,543 (''2010 census provisional'') Kitwe is ...

. The 33 MW expansion sits on of land in Kitwe District. Kitwe is approximately north 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 national capital. The geographical coordinates of Zambia Riverside Solar Power Station are: 12°48'26.0"S, 28°14'11.0"E (Latitude:-12.807222; Longitude:28.236389).

Overview

In April 2018, CEC commenced commercial use of its 1 MW solar power station in Kitwe, as an income-diversification enterprise. In December 2021, CEC contracted Sinohydro to expand the solar farm to 34 MW, with anticipated annual output of 56.5 GWh. The power station, whose original design consisted of 3,864 photovoltaic panels, each rated at 270 watts, was the first grid-connected solar plant in Zambia. The expansion includes construction of new 11kV evacuation transmission lines to a location where the energy enters the CEC grid.

Construction costs and timeline

The construction costs for the expansion are reported as US$19.2 million, paid by CEC. Construction is expected to last approximately one year and conclude during the fourth quarter of 2022.

Recent developments

In February 2023, the completed 34 MW solar farm was officially commissioned in the presence of

Hakainde Hichilema Hakainde Hichilema (born 4 June 1962), often known by his initials HH, is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in ...

, the Zambian Head of State. The new installation sits of . Its annual output is calculated at 54.7 GWh, enough to energize 10,000 Zambian homes. During expansion, 800 people were employed over a 10 months period at a total cost of US$22 million. During the expansion, 61,300 panels, connected to 150 solar inverters were installed. Work also included the construction of of new transmission line and six transformer stations.

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