40% Of Itezhi-Tezhi Power Station Completed

By Paul Shalala in Itezhi-Tezhi

Construction of the Itezhi-Tezhi Power Station is said to be moving at an impressive pace.

The US$250 million project is being implemented by the Chinese firm Sino hydro.

The project involves the construction of two generators which are worth 120 mega watts of electricity that will be added to the national grid.

350 Zambians have been employed alongside 100 Chinese who are working at the construction site.

Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda was on 18 December, 2013 was in Itezhi-Tezhi District to inspect the works.

Mr Chikwanda was told that 40 percent of the works were already done.

However, Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation Technical Manager Kelvin Kamwale expressed concern at the way funding is being disbursed by the four banks funding the project.

But Mr Chikwanda assured Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation that all financers have assured him that funding is safe and will be disbursed smoothly.

All equipment for the project are on site and parts of the components for the two generators have already already arrived in the country.

Sino hydro is expected to complete the construction and installation of the two generators by mid 2015.

The hand over of the project is expected to take place in October 2015 when the one hundred and twenty mega watts will be added to the national grid.


Currently, Zambia faces an energy deficit and huge parts of the country face loadshedding.


The addition of the 120 mega watts of electricity once the Itezhi-Tezhi Power project is completed, is expected to ease the country's energy crisis.