Hichilema switches on Chisamba II: 100 more megawatts of solar

Archive note: Lusaka Brief launched in September 2026. This entry was added retrospectively so the record of a significant national moment is preserved. It is based on reporting and official statements that were publicly available at the time.

President Hakainde Hichilema commissioned the US$70 million Chisamba Phase II Solar Power Plant on 21 July, adding 100 megawatts to the grid and doubling the Central Province site's total capacity to 200MW.

"Every additional megawatt means more homes with the lights on, more businesses running at full capacity, and more jobs for our people," the president said at the commissioning, describing the plant as proof that energy sector reforms are attracting serious private investment.

The project matters because of what went wrong before: the 2024 drought crippled Kariba's hydro output and plunged the country into extended load shedding. Government policy since has been to diversify the mix — solar, thermal and hydro — "so that our economy is never again held hostage by drought," as Hichilema put it.

ZESCO's load management remains a live grievance for households and small businesses, but each new plant shortens the gap. With mining, agriculture and manufacturing all expanding, the government says demand will keep rising — "we are building it now," the president said.