Zambia’s first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) farm has started commercial operations.
The 54 MW Bangweulu solar farm will help to address Zambia’s urgent need for additional power generation capacity, according to its developers, a joint venture of Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Neoen.
Bangweulu cost $60 million to build and received technical and financial support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank. Zambian president Edgar Lungu officially opened the solar farm and said that the project would help to attract further investment to the country.
France-based Neoen announced at the end of 2017 that it had reached financial close and started construction on Bangweulu. Neoen holds a majority share in the project and will be selling electricity to ZESCO, the national supplier, for the next 25 years at a rate of 60.15 US Dollars per MWh.
