Zengamina Power and ZESCO Forge Groundbreaking Partnership, Restoring Power to Ikelengi
Zengamina Power has officially interconnected with the national utility, ZESCO, in a landmark development for Zambia’s energy sector. This collaboration marks the beginning of a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing power supply.
The historic moment occurred on April 1, 2025, as technical teams from both entities worked tirelessly to restore electricity in Ikelengi District, which had been without power for over a week due to a gearbox fault at Zengamina’s hydro station.
After meticulous coordination and safety checks, the connection was successfully activated at exactly 18:18 hrs, bringing relief to the community. The interconnection is not just a solution to the immediate crisis but a significant step towards a more integrated and efficient energy network in Zambia.
Zengamina Power, which has served Ikelengi for over 17 years, has historically operated at only 30% capacity, leaving 70% of its generated power unused. While some of this surplus was temporarily allocated to a Bitcoin mining operation recently featured by the BBC, a long-term strategy had been in motion to integrate Zengamina with the national grid.
The plan, developed over the past two years with full support from the Energy Regulation Board (ERB), allows Zengamina to contribute excess power to ZESCO, while also drawing from the grid in times of need.
To bolster this initiative, Zengamina is expanding its capacity from 0.7MW to 2.5MW through the addition of a second turbine and a solar hybrid system. This move is expected to help alleviate Zambia’s ongoing power deficit.
Although regulatory approvals were already in place, the recent emergency accelerated the interconnection process. Teams from ZESCO and Zengamina collaborated seamlessly, pooling resources, materials, and expertise to complete the works in record time. Their joint effort ensured that Ikelengi residents could regain power as soon as possible.
Stephen Chandalala, Zengamina’s Operations Manager, commended the swift and cooperative response: “We thank the Ikelengi District Commissioner and local leadership for their unwavering support during this difficult period. We also extend our gratitude to the entire ZESCO team for their expertise, quick mobilization, and teamwork in getting the power back on for our customers.”
Zengamina CEO Daniel Rea emphasized the significance of the partnership, stating:”We appreciate the support from ZESCO leadership, the Regulator, and the Ikelengi MP, who acted swiftly to minimize the outage duration. We now look forward to feeding power into the national grid soon, as our expanded generation capacity is already in progress.”
For now, Zengamina will continue to draw power from ZESCO, but with the infrastructure in place, it is poised to become a key contributor to Zambia’s national grid in the near future. The partnership sets a precedent for collaboration between private and public utilities, paving the way for a more resilient and sustainable energy sector.
