CONSTRUCTION of the 100 megawatts solar farms in Lusaka will start in March this year following the selection of Neoen First Solar and Enel Green Power Limited.
In an interview, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) acting chief executive officer Mateyo Kaluba said the two companies tendered the lowest tariffs at 6.02 US cents and 7.84 US cents per kilowatt hour respectively.
He said the solar projects that will cost K404.9 million, approximately US$40 million, will take eight months to be completed and will be located in the Lusaka-South multi-facility economic zone.
“We expect to reach financial and commercial closure by March and construction works will start soon thereafter. The tariffs from solar projects are attractive and they are better than the ones offered in the hydro-power sub sector, and this will entice investors.
“The power will be fed into the national grid and IDC is facilitating the involvement of the private sector, so IDC [Government] will go in as minority shareholder with about 20 percent shareholding. Actually, this project is an example of how IDC is spearheading industrialisation by creating an environment for private sector,” Mr Kaluba said.
He said International Finance Corporation of the World Bank is providing technical expertise with IDC creating an enabling environment by setting up the place where the solar farms will be installed.
Last year, President Lungu commissioned the preliminary project development work on two solar plants of 50 megawatts each under phase one, representing 100 megawatts out of the targeted 600 megawatts of the Zambia Scaling Solar programme.
Installation or construction? This is our engineers cant design & build bridges. We will always rely on foreigners to help us.
Installation or construction? This is why our engineers cant design & build bridges. We will always rely on foreigners to help us.
Zesco should not be anywhere near this project please. It will be a disaster if they are to be consulted by the company coming to build these
Everything ni lungu pa Lusaka times. How much were you dogs bought for ? Lungu will die soon because they are trying hard to make us think he is hard working like they did with sata only for him to die
Nez please tone down even if its providing checks and balances. At times try to be objective. Anyways, its maybe you new strategy so that you can be voted as most worst blogger 2017.
Solar projects are technical projects. Politicians must stay away. This is a win-win situation. Solar creates employment. Solar is clean. Solar is economical. If necessary, a sharing of the national grid must be considered along cellphone or DSTV lines. Consumers will be purchasing power from the most efficient power provider.
Forget the Nuclear Reactors, this is it. Solar power is the way
Given our track record riddled with sloppy maintenance on most of our engineering installations, Solar power, coupled with lithium battery back-up system, far outweighs Nuclear Reactors.
These projects were promising under the previous management but now with the Mutati led clueless vision and corrupt elements like Robinson Zulu, Sikutwa and of course the clueless CEO Mateyo this same financial and commercial close might not be reached. This project was started by the previous management who were removed because of pettiness and mediocre thinking. The proposed 600 megawatts will never be reached. Mateyo is issuing statements just to show as if his working when all the projects were started by others. Let him initiate his own projects so that we can appreciate his capacity to think including his boss Mutati.
I am sure this will be a fantastic project for the people of Lusaka and Zambia. I just hope that the Principal Contractor does not employ the services of SMTS and its Managing Director Jamie Cliffe to provide health and safety consultancy and training services for the project. This man is a crook and a con artist who has swindled many people and companies out of thousands of pounds in unpaid invoices in the UK. Beware of this man and his company people of Zambia
That’s a good step to take. But don’t misuse the funds and Zesco should stay away from the project.