Supplying 750 MW to Zambia’s power grid, the Kafue Gorge Lower hydropower station has been fully commissioned.

According to ESIAfrica, the commissioning follows the switch-on of the project’s fifth and last generator in March.

President Hakainde Hichilema described the power plant, under construction since 2015, as a ‘phenomenal engineering achievement which will help with job creation and go a long way in ending load shedding’.

The US$2 billion public-private project was funded by the Zambian government and the Export-Import Bank of China.

The power plant, built by Sinohydro Corporation, comprises a 139m-high concrete-face rockfill dam and a surface powerhouse for the five 150 MW generator units. It is about 17 km downstream fromthe existing Kafue Gorge Upper hydropower station.

18 April 2023
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