Zambia will complete a 300-megawatt coal-fired power station by this coming July. Once completed, the project will expand the already operational 300-megawatt Maamba Coal Power Plant to 600 megawatts of much-needed electricity in a country where 57 percent of the population does not have access to electricity. It is also a clear counter to the demands by the West for Africa to abandon coal as a fuel. This is a non-starter in Zambia, as it is in other African countries well endowed with coal resources.
While Zambia has 2,800 MW of installed electricity generating capacity, 83 percent of this is from its 12 operational hydro-electric power stations, which are operating below capacity because of the prolonged drought. Another 5 percent comes from expensive heavy fuel oil, all of which has to be imported. Only 3 percent is from solar, and the remaining 9 percent is from coal.
Another issue is that 50 percent of the capacity is used in the mining sector—the country’s largest industry. While 67 percent of urban residents have access to electricity, in the rural regions, only 14.5 percent of the residents have access, according to Zambia’s energy ministry. The project is a joint undertaking among Zambian government entities and Chinese and Indian interests.
