Muchinga Power Company Ltd. (MPCL) will spend $900 million on the development of a 330-MW hydroelectric generating station in Zambia.
The project, which aims to strengthen the country’s renewable energy portfolio, also includes the construction of 66 km of a 330 kV transmission line. This transport infrastructure will serve to connect the power plant to the national electricity grid, reports the Daily Mail.
“MPCL aims to develop a hydroelectric project with a capacity of between 204 and 330 megawatts on the Lunsemfwa and Mkushi rivers. The total investment will be between $700 million and $900 million. Energy investment is a prerequisite for industrial and commercial development in Zambia. Hydroelectric power production proves that this technology is sustainable and is being actively promoted throughout the country,” the company said in a statement.
The projected power plant will have a lifetime of 20 years and could be rehabilitated at the end of this period. MPCL is a company established and owned by Lunsemfwa Hydro Power Company, Zambia’s largest independent energy producer.
The company currently has two hydroelectric dams with a total capacity of 56 MW and plans to increase its portfolio capacity to 500 MW by 2020.