ZESCO
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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electricity Generation and Supply |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Lusaka, Zambia |
| Revenue | US$ 409 million (2017) |
Number of employees | 3,600 (2007) |
| Parent | State owned |
| Website | www |
ZESCO (acronym for Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited) is a state-owned power company in Zambia. It is Zambia's largest power company producing about 80% of the electricity consumed in the country. ZESCO represents Zambia in the Southern African Power Pool.
History
[edit]ZESCO was formed as Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited by parliament in December 1969. It took over responsibilities from several municipalities and the three existing utilities: Victoria Falls Power Board, Central Electricity Corporation, and Northern Electricity Supply Corporation.[1]
Operations
[edit]The company operates nine hydropower stations with a potential combined capacity of 2,217.5 MW and eight small thermal power plants with a combined potential capacity of 11.3 MW resulting in a total of 2,228.8 MW. Due to poor maintenance and substandard practices, these capacities are not achieved.[2]
The company also owns and operates power distribution and transmission lines of 9,975 km.
ZESCO has formed power purchase agreements with private companies that own power plants in Zambia. It purchases the power produced and feeds part of it into the national grid, with a larger portion resold to neighboring countries. GL Africa Energy provides the national grid through ZESCO with over 105 MW of power under this agreement.[3]
ZESCO owns 40% shares in EL Sewedy Electric Zambia Limited.[4]
In June 2022, ZESCO signed a 13-year Bulk Supply Agreement (BSA) with Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) Plc. The power supply limit under the BSA was set at 380MW. ZESCO projects that they will earn an estimated US$150.0 million per annum from the agreement. These earnings are expected to translate into an estimated US$2.0 billion over the lifetime of the BSA.[5]
In July 2022, at the 94th Agricultural and Commercial Show in Lusaka, the managing director of the National Utility ZESCO, Victor Mapani announced that the company plans to deploy Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country in an effort to accelerate and promote the transition to EVs and enhance carbon emission reduction.[6] However, as of February 2025, no significant progress has been reported toward fulfilling this commitment.[citation needed]
In November 2024, nation-wide blackouts occurred.[7] Although the power was restored the next day, ZESCO struggled to keep up with the electricity demands in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In 2024, ZESCO reported losses of K5.1 million from infrastructure vandalism and K7.46 million in property damage in December alone.[8] The country also faced prolonged load-shedding, initially promising seven hours of daily power supply, which was later reduced to five hours by mid-2025 due to the shutdown of a Maamba generator.[9] To address power shortages, ZESCO commissioned the 100 MW Chisamba Solar Power Plant in June 2025 and signed PPAs totaling 332 MWp with independent producers for completion by 2026.[10]
Power stations
[edit]- Kafue Gorge Lower, 750 MW
- Kafue Gorge Upper, 990 MW
- Kariba North Bank, 720 MW
- Kariba North Bank Extension, 360 MW
- Victoria Falls, 108 MW
- Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, 120 MW
- Maamba Collieries Thermal Power Station, 300 MW
Limitations
[edit]The national grid in Zambia only extends to some parts of the country. For example, it ends 380 kilometres (240 mi) from the Ikelenge area around Kalene Hill in the extreme northwest, and as of 2008, ZESCO had no plans to provide power to this remote area due to an increase in shareholder allotments. In response, some small-scale private operations have been established such as the Zengamina 700 KW hydroelectric generator.[11] The Energy Regulation Board is encouraging private investment in hydroelectric power generation in view of the power deficit.[12]
See also
[edit]- Economy of Zambia
- List of Zambian Companies
- "ZESCO to increase electricity tariffs with effect from 1st July 2014".
References
[edit]- ^ Makai, Eugene (26 August 2024). "SNAPSHOT IN HISTORY – ZESCO, ITS HISTORY AND THE CURRENT POWER SITUATION". The Zambian Observer. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Energy Sector Report 2014 (PDF) (Report). Energy Regulation Board, Zambia. 2015.
- ^ Kangali, Chatula (29 April 2016). "Zambia: Ndola Energy Project to Expand". The Times of Zambia (Ndola). Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- ^ "zesco-receives-2m-dividend-from-el-sewedy-electric". zambiadispatch.com. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "zesco-to-earn-2bn-from-cec-deal". daily-mail.co.zm. 11 July 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ Kalonda, Fanny (30 July 2022). "zesco-to-deploy-ev-charging-stations-in-many-towns-mapani". zambianobserver.com. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ Mwarumbwa, Danai (28 November 2024). "More power setbacks for Zambia, Zimbabwe". CAJ News Africa. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "ZESCO Reports K5.1 Million Loss Due to Infrastructure Vandalism". Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ "ZESCO increases load-shedding after Maamba generator shutdown". Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ "ZESCO signs 332 MWp solar PPAs". Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ "Zengamina Hydro Project". North West Zambia Development Trust. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "ERB Approves Zengamina Tariffs" (PDF). The Energy Regulator (SECOND ed.). 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
External links
[edit]- ZESCO Official website Archived 16 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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