POWERCHINA Hands Over Zambia's First Hydro Solar Power Plant

POWERCHINA has formally handed over the 27 MWp/20 MWac Lunsemfwa Solar PV Project in Zambia after receiving the taking over certificate, completing the country's first renewable energy project built on a hydro solar complementary model.

The project, located in Central Province, includes a new solar power plant, a step up substation and transmission lines. Its completion gives Zambia another renewable electricity source and supports efforts to diversify power generation.

POWERCHINA is a Chinese engineering and construction company that develops energy and infrastructure projects. Its operations cover renewable energy, hydropower, water resources, transport, municipal works and other major construction projects.

Zambia has been expanding renewable electricity sources to support power supply and reduce dependence on a single generation source. The Lunsemfwa Solar PV Project is part of that effort by using existing hydropower infrastructure alongside solar generation, creating an additional source of electricity within one integrated facility.

Zambia gains first hydro solar complementary power project

The completed facility has an installed capacity of 27 MWp and 20 MWac. It also includes a 33 kV to 66 kV step up substation and two transmission lines, each measuring about one kilometre and operating at 66 kV.

POWERCHINA said the project is the first new energy development in Zambia to adopt a hydro solar complementary model. Under this arrangement, electricity generated from solar panels works alongside the infrastructure of an existing hydroelectric power station.

The company completed engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning before the project received its taking over certificate. The certificate confirms that the facility has been formally handed over after construction was completed.

POWERCHINA also announced that the project was connected to the national electricity grid 26 days before the scheduled date.

The company credited construction planning and workflow coordination throughout the project for meeting the delivery timetable and maintaining quality requirements.

The project is designed to increase renewable electricity generation in Zambia by complementing existing hydropower resources. Using solar energy alongside hydropower provides another electricity source within the country's renewable energy mix.

The facility is located in Zambia's Central Province, where the supporting electricity infrastructure includes the newly completed substation and transmission lines needed to move power from the solar plant into the grid.

POWERCHINA stated that the project supports Zambia's programme to diversify electricity generation through renewable energy.

The completed plant also expands the company's portfolio in Zambia as renewable energy development continues in the country.

Construction activities covered engineering, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning before the facility entered the handover stage.

The company said coordination between different work teams helped keep the project on schedule from construction through grid connection.

The project combines solar generation with existing hydropower infrastructure, making it the country's first completed hydro solar complementary energy project and marking another completed investment in Zambia's renewable electricity sector.