A NEW DAWN FOR CHAMA AND LUNDAZI: HOW THE 132KV TRANSMISSION LINE IS CHANGING LIVES
The hum of progress is palpable in Chama District, where Brighton Simukwai's thriving enterprise, Muchinga Beef Enterprise, is reaping the benefits of reliable electricity. The business boasts an oil press extracting cooking oil from sunflowers, a hammer mill producing mealie meal, a restaurant and a butchery.
Uknown to many, Chama and Lundazi were among the few border areas in Zambia that depended on our neighbours for electricity supply. For decades, the residents of Chama and Lundazi struggled with unstable electricity supply from Malawi, hindering innovation and growth.
That changed when ZESCO commissioned the 132kV Chipata-Lundazi-Chama (CLC) transmission line in December 2023, marking a new era and effectively ushering in a new dawn for the residents who had suffered retarded development under the weight of decades of insufficient power supply.
"We are witnessing a lot of changes," says Simukwai, whose business is enjoying increased production and customer confidence.”
The project that that begun in 2018 suffered setbacks but with internal resources and solutions, it was concluded and commissioned in 2023—another testament to the wealth of innovation, creativity and dedication to serve within the company.
“We often went without electricity, even for a week, and when we had, it was only for an hour. There was no prior announcement of a shut down, making it hard for us to plan,” he recounts. “I am running a butchery, which depends on electricity for the fridges to store food, so imagine not having electricity.”
The Chipata-Lundazi-Chama132kV transmission line project was completed using internally sourced funds and human resources, reducing cost from $69 million to $20 million. Not only was the work done; it was done cheaper.
According to Mathew Phiri, ZESCO’s Senior Manager for Contracts Management and CLC Project Manager, the project aimed to extend 132kV grid power from Chipata West substation to Chama, traversing through Lumezi, Lundazi and Chasefu. Despite the challenges, including a failure to reach financial closure, ZESCO persevered.
“In 2018, the project kicked off, with the first contractor managing to construct the 305 kilometres of the transmission line, while the other two contractors failed to deliver the second line after failing to reach financial closure. However, in 2023, ZESCO decided to complete the second phase using an in-house project implementation unit,” recounts Eng. Phiri.
Lundazi and Chama districts are key to Eastern Province's economic growth, with local farmers constantly trading in soya beans, tobacco, beans potatoes, rice, groundnuts and maize.
Both the Mayor of Chipata and Lundazi District Commissioner recognize the district’s potential, and that the transmission line project has unlocked new opportunities for development and prosperity.
"Lundazi is special and a fast-growing district in development due to the thriving agricultural sector," says Marjory Banda, District Commissioner of Lundazi. "The best crops you'll find here are tobacco, maize, groundnuts and soya beans."
George Mwanza, Mayor of Chipata, highlights the strategic importance of Chama and Lundazi: "You can't have food from Eastern Province without Chama and Lundazi, as they produce essential food crops like rice, maize, groundnuts and tobacco."
Connecting the two districts to the grid via the 132kV transmission line has brought new opportunities for entrepreneurs, small-scale traders and citizens. "People can now plan better and invest more in their businesses," notes the Mayor. With reliable energy, the districts are poised for economic transformation and growth.”