Zesco Banks on Chishimba Falls Station for Improved Power Supply

Zesco managing director Victor Mundende says the rehabilitation of Chishimba  falls  power station to cost $46 million will help meet demand for electricity in the country.

Speaking at the signing ceremony for the supplemental financing and project agreement for the Chishimba Falls rehabilitation and up-rating project by the German and Zambian governments, Mundende said the project is likely to  increase  Zesco’s  average  annual  electricity  production  by  over  60,000 mega watts per hour (MWH)  of  electricity   supply  into  the  national  grid  by  the  end  of  2021.

“The  Chishimba  falls  hydro-power  station  was  commissioned  in  1959  with  an  installed  capacity  of  0.9MW,  that  was  later  expanded  to  six mega watts  in  1971. The  Chishimba  Falls  scheme  was  originally  conceived  as  part  of  Zambia  Rural  Electrification  Program  to  provide  power  to  the  town  of  Kasama  and  other  small  settlements  in  the  area. To  support  the growth  in  settlement  and  commerce  in  and  around  Kasama,  Zesco  Limited  extended  its  330Kv transmission  network  from  Pensulo substation,  in  Serenje  district,  to  Kasama  in  2016.  This  extension  led  to  a  marked  improvement  in  the  quality  and  stability  of  electricity  supplies  in  this  part  of  the  country,” Mundende said.

“In  its  quest  to  encourage  greater  exploitation  of  renewable  energy  sources  and  diversification  within  the  electricity  sub-sector  the  government of  Zambia  commissioned  the ‘rehabilitation and up-rating of existing small hydro-power stations program’,  in 2011  that  targeted  the  maximization  of  energy  production  potential  at  four  existing small  hydro-power  stations  in  Northern  Zambia  by  increasing  the  installed  generation  capacity  from  24.8MW  to  over  140MW,  Lunzua (from 0.75MW to 14.8    MW),  Musonda Falls (from 5MW to 10 MW),  Lusiwasi (construction of two new schemes, i.e. one 15MW upper scheme and another 86 mw lower scheme to replace the existing 12 mw power station), and  Chishimba falls (from 6MW to 15MW).”

He said the  agreement  that  will  be  signed  will  see  the  realization  of  the   rehabilitation  and  up-rating  of  the  Chishimba  Falls’  15MW  power  station.

“It  is  my  management’s  sincere  hope  that  once  this  and  all  other  projects  that  Zesco  is  currently  undertaking  are completed, this  will effectively  contribute  to  meeting  the  demand  for  reliable  electricity  in  the  country  and  firmly  set  the  corporation  to achieve  its  vision  of being  the  hub  of  electricity  trading  within  the  region  by  2025,” said Mundende.

News source: Zambia Reports

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