An official report seen by the Zambian […]

An official report seen by the Zambian Business Times (ZBT) has revealed a dramatic increase in power exports by a privately owned electricity trading company, Petrodex, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. According to the report, annual power exports from Zambia by Petrodex surged by more than 91% in the year 2025 when Zambia experienced excruciating load-shedding.

 According to the report, during the same period, ZESCO, Zambia’s state-owned power utility, saw its annual power exports decrease by approximately 18% in 2025, primarily driven by drought-induced low water levels that led to widespread load shedding.

However, according to the report, Petrodex increased its electricity exports to 303 GWh in 2025, up from 159 GWh in 2024. a 100% privately owned company, headquartered in the UAE, with no Zambian or government ownership.

When contacted for comment by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Petrodex Operations Manager, Mulenga Kaenga, indicated that further details on the company’s electricity exports were unavailable at press time, as senior management was not immediately accessible for a discussion.

However, Kaenga provided background on the company’s operations in Zambia, stating,“We are registered power traders with a trading license from the Energy Regulation Board. We are also members of the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), trading electricity across the region. In addition to trading, we invest in generation assets, including a solar plant in Serenje that currently produces 25 megawatts, with plans to scale up to 108 megawatts.”

Kaenga confirmed that Petrodex is She said the company sources power from the Southern Africa Power Pool and independent power producers across the region, in addition to its own generation assets. She, however, stressed that comments on the specifics of the 91% power exports increase would require further discussion with senior management, who were unavailable by press time.

ZBT had submitted an official press inquiry to Petrodex, however, no response had been received by the time of publication. Additional details will, however, be shared once Petrodex issues an official response to the query.

Article by Tyndale Muchiya