Siavonga to have US$150m solar project
Written by Millennium on August 12, 2019
OLIVER SAMBOKO writes
TWO firms have come together to raise $150 million for solar project in Siavonga that will add 150MW to the national grid.
The project that will be undertaken in Siavonga’s Chalokwa area by solar developer, Hive Energy and Siavonga Pack Solar Limited was also expected to create employment for hundreds of jobless youths.
The build and operate solar plant was expected to begin by early June next year.
Speaking during the Social Impact Assessment meeting at Chalokwa, Hive energy country manager, Ross Michelson, said, the project would require an investment of up to US$150 million and that once completed, it would create job opportunities.
He said effects of climate change had caused a lot of problems in the energy sector not only in Africa but also in other parts of the world and that solar energy was now the only solution to the challenge.
And Siavonga District Commissioner Mr. Lovemore Kanyama said the continued low water levels in Zambia’s water reservoirs called for concerted effort in tackling the energy deficit.
Mr. Kanyama said the solar project would supplement the dwindling hydro electricity generation that had affected Zambia and the southern region.
