HH Commissions Chisamba Phase II, Taking Site to 200MW

President Hakainde Hichilema has commissioned the 100-megawatt Phase II of the Chisamba solar power plant in Central Province, doubling the site's total capacity to 200 megawatts of clean, home-grown energy.

Speaking at the commissioning, the President said every additional megawatt meant more homes with electricity, more businesses running at full capacity, and more jobs for Zambians. He described the plant as clear evidence that the government's energy reforms are working, noting that opening up the sector had attracted significant private investment, with several similar plants now under construction across the country.

President Hichilema said Zambia was deliberately building a diverse energy mix of hydro, solar and thermal power, so that the economy would never again be held hostage by drought. As mining, agriculture, manufacturing and infrastructure expand, he added, the country will need far more power — and that capacity is being built now.

ZESCO Managing Director Justine Loongo said the Chisamba Phase II project had created approximately 1,480 jobs during construction, with 95 percent of them going to local residents. The figure reinforces the government's message that major infrastructure is also a direct source of local employment and opportunity.

The plant forms part of a wider national drive to strengthen and diversify electricity supply, reduce reliance on hydropower, and support the President's pledge to reach 10,000 megawatts of generating capacity.