Zambia Power Grid Company s requirements for energy storage

Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility. (2022). Customs Handbook for Solar PV Products in Zambia. Bloomberg New Energy Finance. (2022, December 6). Lithium-ion Battery Pack Prices Rise for First Time to an Average of $151/kWh.

The Electricity Act regulates the generation, trans-mission, distribution and supply of electricity to enhance the security and reliability of electricity sup-ply in Zambia. It codifies the rules on tariff setting and introduces the concept of intermediary power trading, a concept that was missing from the previous regulatory framework.

The Zambian government has set a target to increase its installed solar and wind capacity to 600 MW by 2030. However, the current installed capacity for solar photovoltaics is only 90 MWp, indicating significant underutilisation of Zambia's potential in the renewable energy sector.

Private companies also trade in electricity in Zambia. The largest of these, Copperbelt Energy Corporation Plc (CEC), buys electricity primarily from ZESCO and sells it to the various mines in the Copperbelt Province. It also operates its own generators, most of which run on fossil fuels.

Thus, the installed capacity in Zambia in 2021 is composed as follows: 2,705 MW in hydro-power (including 1,080 MW for the Kariba complex and 990 MW for Kafue Gorge), 330 MW in coal, 85 MW in diesel, 110 MW in heavy oil and 89 MW in solar. In total, about 84% of the installed capacity is renewable.

For German and European service providers active in the energy sector, Zambia presents significant potential for business development. There are clear needs across the solar energy and storage value chain, including pro-ject development and financing, equipment manufacturing, system inte-gration and contracting.