By KALONDE NYATI
NORTH-WESTERN Energy Corporation plans to build a 100-megawatt thermal power plant in Ndola at a cost of over US$200 million.
Northwestern managing director Andrew Kamanga said the coal-fuelled plant, which will be located in Ndola’s industrial area, will provide reliable electricity in the area that is currently witnessing increased activity.
Mr Kamanga said in an interview in Lusaka recently that feasibility studies have been completed with the project expected to start soon.
“The feasibility studies have been done. We are now working on the bankable studies. We will in two months’ time give a definite schedule on when the project will start and this will be after identifying suppliers of the equipment,” he said.
He said reliable power supply remains critical for Zambia’s industrial development and establishing more power plants using other sources of energy would stimulate development in the country.
Mr Kamanga said the company was also investing about US$5 million in developing a distribution network at Kalumbila and Kansanshi mines which would connect residential and commercial units in the two mining areas.
“On the distribution side, we entered the market in 2008 in Lumwana but we have since expanded and now about to connect to Kapitaka in Solwezi, a housing project for Kansanshi mine, and building another distribution line in Kalumbila where we will supply power to residential, commercial and industrial units. We expect a lot of economic activity as a result of these projects,” he said.
He observed that the liberalisation of the energy sector had resulted in active participation by private players such as the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) and Northwestern Energy Corporation.
“The electricity sector has evolved over the years. Zesco Limited has been investing in generation, transmission and distribution. On the other hand, players such as CEC and ourselves have been active”.
“Increased demand for electricity by various economic sectors has also boosted investment in power projects,” he said.