Zambia Prepares For El Niño After Previous Droughts Triggered Blackouts

The drought over two years ago had catastrophic consequences for Zambia’s energy security–a nation largely dependent on hydropower, generating over 80% of its electricity, according to government figures. 

As rivers dried up, the number of blackouts rose. The arriving El Niño—widely expected to become one of the strongest on record and anticipated to grapple the nation with high temperatures and little rain—reignites concerns as to whether Zambia is prepared for another disrupted wet season. 

Kennedy Muchanga, Regional Manager of Zambia’s state-owned power company, ZESCO, shares with FORBES AFRICA on the sidelines of Africa Energy Week in Cape Town in October why it is no longer as vulnerable to the flow of its rivers, but also better positioned to harness whatever Mother Nature brings.   

“We’ve added more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) in solar over the last year,” Muchanga highlights, which has coincided with a 635 MW addition in thermal power, almost double the capacity Zambia possessed “when we were hit by that drought”, he adds. 

This green energy addition “means we should be able to sustain ourselves if it happens again,” he explains, before confirming the current energy supply to be “very stable.” 

Bottlenecks remain in distribution, however, and will be an area of concern over the course of the El Niño. Muchanga admits the need to prioritize building transmission lines, believing that their ability to export via the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) can’t be done without implementation of such legacy infrastructure. 

Muchanga also confirms the country’s ongoing pursuit of financing to break ground, with some projects scheduled to “start commissioning soon”.  

A landlocked nation sharing borders with eight countries, Zambia is favorably positioned to become a focal point within the SAPP. Projects are in motion for the state to leverage its geopolitical sway, including various interconnectors, such as with Malawi and Tanzania, and “some inland transmission lines,” Muchanga adds.