Renewable and sustainable energy to provide dispatchable, stable power with realistic cascading energy applications
ABOUT ZAMBIA AND THE POWER MARKET
Size: 752,618 Km²
Population: 17.5 million (2018 est.)
Politics: Plural political system with democratic elective governments
Economics: Liberal Economic system
Minerals: Host to Africa’s most significant metallurgical province, the Copper-belt, producing 861,946 Tonnes copper in 2018, other base metals including cobalt manganese and nickel plus gold, low grade coal and uranium, and currently early stage hydrocarbon exploration. All mining and exploration operated under private management with Government, through Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings, selectively holding minority stakes
• Current installed capacity: 2,347mW in May 2019 (92% hydro, 7% thermal coal, 1% diesel)
• Demand growing by 6% pa (4,000mW by 2026)
• Access to Electricity: Domestic: 25% of generated capacity. 4% in rural areas (96% no access)
• Large scale hydropower generation reduced due to changing climate in the Zambezi River Basin
Country suffering a “Critical Power Deficit” with no surplus capacity for the key social-economic development issues of rural electrification, industrialization and new mine development.
Other alternative energy options including biofuel, solar and small-scale biogas and wind are being implemented. Private participation in the power sector is actively being sought by the Government, who facilitate rather than participate; most new development is either private sector or PPP; there are several private power producers and two distributors.
The current reliance on hydro-electric generation will not meet future demand and a broader mix of energy sources and independent power producers will be needed to meet growing national demand and industrial development. Geothermal power in Zambia has significant potential and may be one of the ways of offsetting the current serious power deficit for the economy which is largely reliant on the natural resources/mining sector. Geothermal energy is recognised as an energy source in the current national development plan.
Kalahari GeoEnergy is set to play its part in power generation through the exploration of geothermal energy resources.