By: Green Building Africa

The Zambian government has signed contracts with a consortium of five Chinese firms to design, supply, and install solar photovoltaic power plants across all 156 constituencies, marking a major step in scaling up distributed renewable energy capacity.

The agreements were signed in Lusaka under the Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative, a flagship national programme aimed at increasing installed electricity capacity from about 3500 MW to 10000 MW by 2030. Each constituency will host a 2 MW solar plant, delivering a combined output of 312 MW to the national grid through ZESCO infrastructure.

Nicholas Phiri, Permanent Secretary for Technical Services at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, said the programme forms part of a broader strategy to address persistent power shortages while supporting economic development at the local level. He noted that cabinet approved the initiative in November 2025 as a nationwide renewable energy rollout to reduce structural energy deficits and stimulate wealth creation.

Phiri said integrating the solar plants into the grid will contribute directly to national energy targets while strengthening service delivery and economic activity in communities. He added that local authorities will hold equity stakes in the projects, creating long term revenue streams to support development initiatives.

The programme is also expected to generate about 15600 jobs during implementation and operation. In addition, 70 newly created constituencies are set to be incorporated into the initiative, further expanding its national footprint.

The K4.3 billion programme is being implemented through a special purpose vehicle in coordination with the Ministries of Finance, Energy, and Local Government. ZESCO will act as project manager, overseeing technical standards and grid integration.

Contractors involved include Sunshare Construction in partnership with China Railway Construction Engineering Group, China Civil Engineering Construction Company, Golden Baobab Investments with Huawei Technologies Zambia, Chetam Metals Fabrication with ZamChin Construction, and China Jiangxi International Corporation with Qingdao Haier Photovoltaic New Energy Company.

Representing the contractors, China Civil Engineering Corporation Southern Africa Managing Director Jacques Lioa said the consortium is committed to delivering the projects within the agreed 12 month construction timeline.