Zambia-based independent power company, Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), has commissioned the 60-megawatt Itimpi Solar Photovoltaic Power Station in the city of Kitwe, Zambia. The solar power plant’s unveiling which took place last week was attended by high-level dignitaries including the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.
CEC constructed the Itimpi Solar Photovoltaic Power Station for an investment of over USD 53 million, which it sourced through the first tranche of CEC Renewables’ USD 200 million Green Bond listed on the Lusaka Securities Exchange.
The independent power company revealed that it plans to access further tranches of the Green Bond to finance future solar developments with associated storage technology, including a planned 126MW solar plant on the same site, scheduled for construction in 2025.
“What CEC has done today adds to our agenda as a nation to generate diversified electric energy,” said Hakainde Hichilema, the President of Zambia.
“When CEC does what they have done today, we must see that [Itimpi Solar Plant] is a Zambian asset and investment which will contribute to the national economic development agenda,” added Hichilema.
The Itimpi solar power plant is expected to offset 122,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. CEC highlighted that the solar facility compliments its efforts to support Zambia’s Nationally Determined Contribution in reducing carbon emissions.
The power plant is equipped with solar tracking technology and has an annual generation capacity of 130 GWh. The solar facility covers an area of 80 hectares with 109 144 mono-crystalline bifacial solar modules, and 200 inverters.
Furthermore, the Itimpi project employed over 1,220 skilled and unskilled workers during the construction phase. CEC also partnered with the Forestry Department to provide contracting opportunities for wood merchants from the trees felled during land clearance.
“The combination of our Itimpi and our Riverside Solar Plants will deliver a total annual energy output of 186 GWh. The drought we have experienced this year is a wake-up call for the energy sector to be at the centre of driving lasting solutions that will ensure a consistent power supply to our economy at all times,” said CEC’s Managing Director, Mr Owen Silavwe.
“This is an affirmation of our commitment as CEC to partnering first of all with the government and indeed with other sector players to contribute to the advancement of the electricity sector and the social-economic development of our country,” said CEC’s Board Chairperson, Mr London Mwafulilwa.
