MUCHINGA’S NEW POWER STATION SET FOR COMPLETION

ZESCO has embarked on an ambitious programme to construct mini hydro power stations aimed and bringing electricity supply to rural areas. With the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, ZESCO is constructing a One Mega Watt (1MW) hydro Power Station in Shiwangandu area in Chinsali district, in Muchinga Province.

The shiwangandu Mini-Hydro power station scheduled for completion in April 2012 is part of the Zambian government’s commitment to increasing access to electricity for all Zambians.

As part of UNIDO’s commitment to ensure the project is on course, UNIDO Chief of Rural Renewable Energy Dr. Diego Masera was recently in the country to check on the progress made so far.
Speaking after a tour of Shiwang’andu Mini Hydro Power Station on 2nd December 2011, Dr. Masera expressed happiness on the progress made so far and appreciated the commitment shown by the Zambian Government and its people in issues of development. “We as United Nations, our role is to support Government on the development policies and we see renewable energy as a centre for sustainable development. So if ZESCO and the Government of Zambia want us to continue supporting them, we are more than happy and we will be glad to continue supporting developmental projects” said Dr. Masera.
Dr. Masera said renewable energy is very secure adding that UNIDO will continue supporting renewable energy for the benefit of the rural community.

The UNIDO Chief was accompanied to Shiwangandu by ZESCO Managing Director Mr. Cyprian Chitundu, Divisional Manager North, Mr. Dennis Banda, Senior Manager Generation Projects Mr. Samuel Sinkala, Project Coordinator Mr. Geoffrey Musonda and UNIDO Project Assistant Mrs. Brenda Mukalula-Tembo. ZESCO Managing Director Mr. Cyprian Chitundu paid glowing tribute to UNIDO for its support to ZESCO’s rural electrification programme aimed at increasing access to electricity for all nationals.
He said the power utility’s idea of constructing mini hydro power stations is part of the Government’s policy of increasing access to electricity to ultimately improve the wellbeing of people’s lives in rural areas.
“The idea of this power station is to supply power locally in Shiwang’andu and the surrounding areas.  It will work as an isolated mini grid and we will connect to the schools, clinics, the lodges and the farms and essentially we are going to bring development to this area” Mr. Chitundu said.

Mr. Chitundu expressed gratitude to government for its continued support to ZESCO aimed at improving electricity power supply in the country thereby improving the lives of the Zambian people.
“This is essentially as it should be, we have had so many problems of power supply in Zambia and currently we have had power cuts because we have run out of capacity.  We are producing about 1800 Mega Watts of power the whole country but in the last 40 years we have not built a new power station in this country, so this is the first power station going to be completed ahead of the Kariba North Bank Extension which is a 360 MW power station” said Mr. Chitundu.
Mr. Chitundu, who expressed satisfaction with the works so far, said ZESCO will replicate similar developments in other rural areas in order to attract development in these areas.The Managing Directors said the power utility firm is determined to increase access to electricity in rural areas from the current 3 percent to 50 percent in line with government’s vision 2030.
He said under the increased Access to Electricity project, said ZESCO will go into villages and connect at least a bulb to each household wherever electricity transmission lines passes at a subsidized cost.