The Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) says it will start producing 10 megawatts (MW) of electricity from its Nanjoka Solar Power Plant in Salima by December this year.

Speaking during a media tour of the construction site on Wednesday, Egenco chief executive officer Maxon Chitawo said the project is part of the company’s strategy to diversity energy sources beyond hydroelectricity generation, which has been affected by climate-related challenges.

Chitawo: We want to
diversify. | Kelly Livimbo

He said the $13 million (about K22 billion) project is being implemented in three phases, beginning with 10MW in the first phase, followed by 10MW and 30MW in the second and third phases respectively.

Said Chitawo: “Egenco has a plan to diversify the energy sources used for power generation. Most of our plants are in the Lower Shire, and for the past five years, we have been hit by cyclones almost every year. We want to establish power stations away from the Shire to ensure stability.”

One of the engineers George Katepa, who is Egenco’s senior operations and maintenance engineer, said the Nanjoka plant will use a modern digital control system that enhances monitoring and efficiency.

“The control room has a billing meter panel that can be accessed remotely. The plant will also have a battery energy storage system to store excess energy, ensuring a consistent and reliable power supply,” he said.

The Nanjoka site will initially feed 10MW into the national grid and then 50MW when the project is completed.