Africa-Press – Zambia. For years, the dominant political narrative has been simple and blunt: Zambia’s energy sector has failed. Load shedding became routine. Hydropower shortages deepened public frustration. Opposition voices have framed the crisis as proof of policy collapse under President Hakainde Hichilema.
But away from the noise of rallies and studio debates, a quieter story has been unfolding. Transmission lines have stretched into districts that had never been connected to the national grid. Solar plants have moved from drawings to steel, panels and live megawatts. Some of these projects are now feeding power into the system.
This is not a story of instant relief or political vindication. It is a documentation of what is underway.
At exactly 17:00 hours on Friday, December 21st, electricity reached Mwasemphangwe Chiefdom in Lumezi District for the first time since Zambia’s independence.
ZESCO energised the newly completed Mwasemphangwe 132/33kV transmission line, officially linking Lumezi to the national grid and ending more than 60 years of reliance on candles and paraffin lamps.
The commissioning forms part of the Chipata–Lundazi–Chama 132kV Grid Extension Project, which has already connected Chama and Lundazi districts, eliminating dependence on imported electricity from Malawi.
ZESCO senior manager for contracts engineer Mathew Phiri said the project was designed to unlock economic activity, not merely provide household lighting.
“The expected and immediate impact of this commissioning is to uplift socio-economic development in Lumezi and Chipangali as it will be an enabler for increased commerce for local business growth, improved healthcare and improved agricultural efficiency and productivity and basically increase access to electricity,” Phiri said.
Communities expected to benefit include Diwa, Nkhanyu, Chamfinsi, Dwankhosi, Mphingozi, Kateme, Ndaiwala, Mwimba, Chikomene, Champoyo, Chinyumbu, Kamkwezi, Chivindu, Mwndanamphingo and Lupampha.
Lumezi sits along a key agricultural and trading corridor linking Chama and Lundazi, with farmers producing beans, rice and tobacco. Power access changes what can be stored, processed and transported.
On Christmas Day, another milestone quietly arrived.
The 50-megawatt Mabumba Solar Power Plant in Mabumba Chiefdom, Mansa District, began evacuating 14 megawatts into the national grid, easing power deficits in Luapula Province.
The plant has reached about 90 percent completion and entered the pre-commissioning phase. Transmission lines have been charged. Transformers and inverters configured. Point-to-point testing is underway.
Once fully commissioned, the plant is expected to meet Luapula Province’s peak demand of about 27 to 28 megawatts, effectively ending load shedding in the province and releasing surplus power to the wider grid.
ZESCO fully owns the project. China Machinery Engineering Corporation is the contractor. The Zambian government is financing the plant at a cost of over US$40 million.
By June 2025, the project stood at 40 percent completion. By July, 45 percent. By October, 73 percent. By December, it had crossed the 90 percent mark. Full commissioning is expected by early 2026.
Mabumba is one piece of a broader shift.
Zambia’s energy strategy now places solar at the centre of diversification, driven by repeated droughts that have exposed the vulnerability of hydropower.
Several projects are already operational or under construction:
– Chisamba Solar Power Plant: Phase 1, a 100MW facility, is commissioned and operational. Phase 2, another 100MW, is under construction.
– CEC Itimpi Solar Power Station: Phase 1 is operational. Phase 2, adding more than 130MW, is underway.
– Serenje (Mailo) Solar Plant: A 25MW facility is operational, with additional capacity planned.
Other large projects are at various stages:
1. Mumbwa Mega Solar Plant, targeting up to 200MW.
2. Choma Solar Power Plant, a 50MW project under construction.
3. Chipata West Solar Plant, a 100MW facility that has broken ground.
4. Kasama Solar Power Plant, planned at 100MW.
5. Kafue Gorge Lower Solar Facility, integrating solar into an existing hydropower complex.
6. Maamba Energy Corporation’s Solar Project.
Kariba North Bank Solar Project.
7. Smaller installations are progressing in Pensulo, Nambala, Kanona, Itezhi Tezhi, Livingstone, Kasupe, Chadiza, Monze, Senanga, Mafinga, Kawambwa and Kaputa.
Together, these projects feed into a national target of producing up to 1,000 megawatts of solar power by the end of 2025.
Another layer of the strategy sits at constituency level. Under the CDF Solar Project, each of Zambia’s 156 constituencies is expected to install a 2MW solar plant, translating into a potential 312MW of decentralised generation.
The model is designed to reduce pressure on the national grid while supporting schools, clinics, markets and small businesses in underserved areas.
Loadshedding has not vanished. Power shortages remain uneven across regions. Critics argue that recent improvements coincide conveniently with the electoral calendar.
What can be verified is narrower and more concrete.
Transmission lines have been completed and energised. Solar plants have moved from planning to production. Megawatts are now entering the grid from facilities that did not exist three years ago.
The energy crisis is not resolved. But the infrastructure response is visible, measurable and ongoing.
In energy, outcomes rarely arrive overnight. They accumulate, line by line, panel by panel, megawatt by megawatt.
© The People’s Brief | Gathering —Mwape Nthegwa; Reporting —Ollus R. Ndomu
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