The construction of the 300 megawatts thermal power plant in Sinazongwe District is almost complete with 83% of work has been done. Energy Minister Dora Siliya who toured the construction site for the power plant said that government is anxious to get the facility up and running.
Ms Siliya has also directed the Permanent Secretary in her ministry to announce the names of those who want to invest in solar energy. The Minister said government will continue to encourage private sector investments into the energy sector.
She said that the involvement of the private sector will enable government channel resources to social sectors such as health and education.
Ms Siliya also said that she is happy that Maamba collieries Limited is also keen to have an additional three hundred megawatts once the plant is completed.
She also said she is happy that 2000 Zambians have been employed on the power project. Ms Siliya said that government wants to see skills transferred to Zambians.
And in a separate interview, Maamba Collieries Chief Executive Officer Venkat Shankar has assured government of the firm’s commitment to complete the construction of the thermal power plant.
Meanwhile, Government has reiterated its commitment to continue implementing both short term and long term solutions to nationwide electricity deficit challenge, by adding a new 420 Megawatts to the national grid.
Among the short term solutions is the Itezhi-Tezhi power plant, which will come online end of this month, as well as the Maamba thermal plants which are all still under developed.
The medium term power projects are the Ndola Heavy Fuel power plant, Chavuma Mini Hydro- Power plant, which will come online in 2017, as well as 200 Mega Watts Solar Power Plant, to be commissioned by early 2016.
The long term measures, which will be effective in 2021 are 1 200MW Batoka power project, 1000 MW Luapula River power project and the 340 MW EMCO Coal fired power plant.
Mr Kambwili says all the short, medium and long term projects will result in an additional 2,740 Megawatts of electricity, which will make Zambia, in the next few years, become the main electricity exporter in the Southern region. .
Africa will only develop when we start to talk less but work hard even our democracy will be nice if we develop unlike the current rubbish we even politic about cooking oil so what about important things like power generating stations poverty is evil people stop thinking Chinese have shown us that the senseless noise we make is due to laziness even our lack of employment is due to foolishness how can undeveloped country with raw resources have people doing nothing just being used to attack political opponents
i think its good split zesco in two like it used to be ,distribution zesco and generation ,kariba north bank.otherwise the invitation of the private sector is a welcome move
83%??, three months ago Ba Lungu benu said 80%. So its 1% per month.
I have no idea why this woman is a Minister.
She offers nothing
Thanks
Somebody help me here, I thought PF were saying they can’t do anything to mitigate the load shedding because it’s a natural cause (low water levels in Kariba dam). Now they are saying they will reduce load shedding by using alternative power sources. Are these not the alternative power generation methods that UPND have been talking about? Other than relying on Kariba dam?
Action speaks louder then words. You already thinking of exporting when you can’t even sustain the demand in your own country . Don’t fool yourselves. Don’t fool us. Don’t count your chicks before they hatched. Charity begins at home. Provide our own country before even thinking of exporting
Why don’t they give us the selfsame updates when it comes to Euro bond expenditure?
At least that is what we need to hear from PF, not HH this HH that, tongas this tongas that, kachemas this, kachema that, insele sheka sheka! twanaka mwe! for a change we should discuss development. Always complaining about the same people!
That is why UPMD have been written off. When the rest of Zambians are celebrating, they are in a cocoon of bitterness that Zambians will soon say bye bye to load shedding. Are they not the same people that you want to rule? Anyway, let’s wait to hear from Chief bitterness himself, and his special bitterness assistant Douggy Siakalima awe mwe…. kikikikikikikikiki….
@terrible, u think because maamba power station, the pipo there will vote for ‘pathetic’ Pf. You r mistaken. Talking about bitterness, sata was driven to form pf out of bitterness that chiluba choose Mwanawasa. Even the elections sata lost, he used to display bitterness you don’t know about. Us who were close saw it. SO BITTERNESS IS NOT SUCH A BAD THING ESPECIALLY THAT YOUR DEPARTED HERO DISPLAYED IT.
It is only150MW for now please get the facts right. And both Itezhi and maamba are private investments. Nothing to do with Pf lies.
Wether private or govt…..the fact is that the projects, once complete will help mitigate load shedding…! Upnd is now scared coz u will have nothing to lie about once load shedding goes, copper prices go up……! Viva pf….!
@ munene, mwana kalunda and, Terrible this last paragraph… “Mr Kambwili says all the short, medium and long term projects will result in an additional 2,740 Megawatts of electricity, which will make Zambia, in the next few years, become the main electricity exporter in the Southern region.”… does not seem to prioritize ending load shedding but focusses on exporting before sorting out the home front challenges. Zambia will be the main electricity exporter!
Knowing PF incompetence, if it were not for powercuts and low copper prices, there would have been another crisis. Maybe next will be a famine or failure to repay a Eurobond. Sata knew the id¡ots he bequeathed us with in his Cabinet of PFools.
@Mwana Kalunda. Apart from roads the face of Lusaka has changed through private investment in infrastructure such as shopping malls, offices and beautiful residential houses with their heaped roofs unlike the match-box type of houses of old. You have to give it to MMD for initiating the provision of an enabling environment for private investment which was not possible under the old socialist policies. The old Electricity Act did not allow private investment in energy. The Itezhitezhi Dam was designed with a power station in mind to meet future electricity demand and what is wrong in inviting private investment to free up money for projects like roads which are unattractive to private investment? New Parties propounding socialist policies are doomed to fail.
@senior engineer, why then doesn’t your govt work on the solwezi chingola road which is more important than those roads u r talking about?
She’s a Minister through or by ,’back door’. Meaning sometimes has been to her through back door.
Rubbish recycling on a grand scale! How can she become a Minister so soon after switching parties? Is the PF so short of capable people that it has to rely on unprincipled muselela-kwa-kabas?
Comment:REMEMBER WHAT SATA SAID LEAVE DORA ALONE
Comment:REMEMBER WHAT SATA SAID LEAVE DORA ALONE SHE IS BETER THAN LUANSHYA MP
Zambia has had power blackouts and layoffs bcoz PF over invested in politicking,political expediency and electioneering rather than focusing on power generation,FDI inflows,ethics and professionalism in appointments.
@Senior Engineer RTD , can you show us pictures or youtube of how Lusaka’s face has changed. we see the same Cairo road. this is the kind of Lusaka we see from as recent as 2014. check dot youtube.com/watch?v=12zdbW-1BPI
Lusaka is changing brother. Kafue road from Makeni to Chilanga is hosting some nice pieces of real estate. Leopards road and Woodlands extension/Chalala, Chilenje and many palces are not what you left. Chilimbulu and Burma roads have been transformed.
Brother, visit your home country some time. You cannot be disappointed with what kalingalinga has become…
HH worshippers bitterness runs through your veins to you PF has done nothing. According to you development will only happen if UPND wins next year , we Zambians cant be fooled by empty promises sorry we love our President ECL and thank God one province cant vote in a President. So continue doing what you know best insult the PF and the President show us your hatred
Bitterness is not entirely a bad thing @mambwe. Remember sata left MMD because of bitterness. Even losing those election he was bitter. I can give u more examples. Some if u pipo just hate HH because he is successful, enterprising, humble, intelligent and MOSTLY because he is Tonga. You would have wished he were called chisanga, chileshe,mutale etc
You insult the Southern Power and yet that is where you are getting all your strategic energy resources. Everything in this country about electrical power is from Southern Power, don’t you see why it is important to respect those people and genuinely promote national unit. If you continue insulting those people you will be in black out one day and beyond. Just warning you in advance
Egypt like Southern Province receives all the waters from the Nile from upstream countries and Southern Province receives all the waters from upstream provinces. The British did not allow upstream states to use the Nile waters by enacting a law. Egypt is now worried because upstream countries want to use the water. God forbid that we shall reach a stage where Southern Province will not allow other provinces to use the electricity generated in its area. What will happen if upstream provinces start using this water. In short the power stations cannot generate electricity without the water it receives upstream. There is also abundant hydropower potential in Luapula. And solar energy is becoming cheaper and the storage problem when the sun is not shining is being solved. Zambia can only…
Comment: @Lucy, shallow brain indeed.