Renewable Energy in Zambia

Zambia has reportedly succeeded in producing the cheapest renewable energy in Africa. The country is currently building new power plants thanks to a fruitful partnership with a French and an American company.

On the 16th of June, the French company Neoen and the American manufacturer of solar panels First Solar announced that they have won a bid in Zambia for an extremely competitive solar plant. This solar plant will produce 47.5 MW of energy for 0.06 dollars an hour, the most competitive price in Africa. The project was led by the World Bank as the first part of the Scaling Solar program launched in 2015 to develop renewable energy in Africa.

The World Bank launched this project to reduce the cost of solar electricity and to organize the implementation of new projects in Africa. The solar plant will be operational by mid-2017 and will be composed of 450,000 photovoltaic modules. The electricity produced will be used by the main public provider, Zesco, under a purchase contract of 25 years. This agreement will improve the life of Zambians who have been deprived of electricity and who have experienced many disconnections of power since December 2015.

These joint projects are bringing the countries involved together around one goal; making Africa's delayed industrialization an asset. In fact, Africa could grow to be 'green and inclusive' says the Economic Commission of the United Nations. The special advisor of the Ethiopian Prime Minister explained; 'It is amazing to start from zero. That will allow us to promote a low-carbon economy and to industrialize without damaging the environment, as has previously been the case'. The co-operation of American and French companies with an African country will hopefully set a precedent and encourage other states in Africa to seek energy projects which are respectful of the environment.