President Hakainde Hichilema has reaffirmed government’s commitment to addressing Zambia’s energy challenges through sweeping reforms, diversification of the energy mix, and accelerated investments in power generation.
Speaking during the official opening of the Fifth Session of the 13th National Assembly today, President Hichilema acknowledged the hardships caused by the ongoing power deficit, noting that households, businesses, and farmers have all been adversely affected.
“We feel the pain and frustration of power outages faced by our citizens, which include our families, friends, and loved ones. No one has been spared,” he said.
The President observed that for 57 years prior to 2021, demand for electricity far outstripped investment in generation, transmission, and distribution. He emphasized that his administration is determined to reverse this trend by implementing reforms and prioritizing energy development.
Among the key measures, President Hichilema highlighted the government’s focus on scaling up solar and thermal power projects to complement hydro, which currently accounts for 85 percent of Zambia’s energy mix and remains vulnerable to climate change.
Recent achievements include the commissioning of the 94-megawatt CEC Itimpi Solar Power Station and the 100-megawatt Chisamba Solar Project Phase One. He added that ongoing projects such as Phase Two of both Itimpi and Chisamba, along with the 300-megawatt Maamba Thermal Power Plant expansion, will significantly boost capacity in the coming years.
“The new solar projects to be commissioned over the next 12 months will generate a confirmed total of 740 megawatts across seven provinces. With numerous private sector-driven projects underway, we are set to surpass our target of 1,000 megawatts of new solar power within the next year,” he announced.
The Head of State also reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment under the Mission-300 initiative to deliver 10 gigawatts of new power by 2030, ensuring electricity access for 300 million Africans, including 3.2 million Zambians currently unserved.
President Hichilema stressed that government’s immediate priority is to ease the burden of load-shedding, particularly for small businesses and high-density communities. He directed the Ministry of Energy to prioritise supply to townships while encouraging the adoption of solar home systems and promoting net metering for citizens to supply power into the grid.
On the petroleum sub-sector, the President pointed to reforms such as the introduction of the fuel open access regime on the TAZAMA pipeline, which has lowered the pump price of diesel by nearly 30 percent since April 2025. He further disclosed that plans are underway to construct a new multi-product pipeline between Zambia and Tanzania to enhance supply security and stabilise fuel prices.
“Clearly tackling the challenge of load-shedding is currently the top priority of this government. We have a plan and are working hard, day and night, to improve the situation,” President Hichilema assured.