Maamba Solar Energy Limited (MSEL) has injected 100 megawatts of electricity into the national grid, bringing one of Zambia’s largest solar plants online just as the country braces for an El Niño season expected to squeeze hydropower generation. First power from the Maamba Solar PV Project entered the grid on 24 September, marking the start of the plant’s commissioning phase.

The project is a joint venture in which ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH) holds a 35 per cent stake, with the remaining 65 per cent held by Nava Global PTE Limited, the international arm of India-listed Nava Limited. Total investment in the project stands at about US$90 million.

ZCCM-IH Chief Executive Officer Kakenenwa Muyangwa said the timing could not have been better. In a statement issued on Friday evening through corporate affairs manager Loisa Mbatha, he said that with Zambia bracing for El Niño and the pressure it would place on hydropower, 100 megawatts of solar capacity was a direct and timely response to the country’s energy security needs.

Mr Muyangwa said the project strengthened the diversification of Zambia’s energy mix, reducing reliance on a single source and building resilience into the national grid. “As a sovereign-anchored investor, ZCCM-IH is proud to play its part in Zambia’s energy transformation,” he said.

He said the investment reflected ZCCM-IH’s commitment to deploying capital into strategic energy projects that would underpin economic growth, support the Grow Zambia agenda and contribute to the national ambition of 10,000 megawatts of generation capacity. The company, he said, would keep working with its partners to bring more reliable and clean power to the grid, create lasting value for shareholders and support industry.

The plant sits in Maamba, Sinazongwe District, in Southern Province, alongside the existing Maamba thermal power operations. It is a 100 MWac utility-scale photovoltaic facility using bifacial panels mounted on single-axis trackers, which follow the sun through the day to maximise output.

A dedicated 330 kV substation connects the plant to the grid. Its output is contracted to ZESCO Limited under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement, giving the project long-term, predictable revenue.

Commissioning will now move through testing and verification of the generation system, trackers, inverters, medium-voltage collection network, substation, protection and control, metering, SCADA and communication systems. The plant will then go through synchronisation, reliability and performance checks, including confirmation of its response to grid requirements, before full commercial operation, and ZCCM-IH said it would update shareholders and the market on further milestones.

The new capacity arrives while the country’s main hydropower reservoir is declining but holding. The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) put Lake Kariba at 481.15 metres on 21 September, with 26.21 billion cubic metres of usable storage, or 40.44 per cent of the water available for power generation. That is above the 477.87 metres recorded in 2025 but below the 485.67 metres of 2018.

Energy expert Engineer Bornface Zulu said electricity supply remained stable despite the falling lake, but warned that the situation showed why Zambia must keep diversifying away from hydropower. National demand stands at about 2,400MW, peaking at around 2,800MW, against current generation of about 3,500MW, with Kafue Gorge Upper producing about 990MW and Kafue Gorge Lower about 750MW.

Solar is already carrying more of that load. More than 841MW of solar power has been added to national generation capacity, and a further 159MW is expected from Chipata West and Senga by December 2026.

Maamba now moves through synchronisation and performance testing towards full commercial operation, adding its 100 megawatts to the grid before the rains.

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