Zesco has contracted Eltel Networks of Sweden to undertake the project for which funding was sourced from Swedish owned Nordia Bank and Standard Bank of South Africa. A down payment of US$30 million has since been made to the contractor who is expected to move on site and commence works next month. The scope of works included construction of kilo volt (KV) lines from Mwinilunga and Mufumbwe via designated points from where Zesco taps electricity and onto the national grid.
The project of connecting selected parts of north-western province of Zambia to the national electricity grid will commence in June this year at a total cost of US$163m. Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) spokesperson, Henry Kapata said that the project was expected to be completed within a period of 24 months and 1,000 jobs would be created for the local people.
Zesco is spending US$80m annually to service selected areas that are dependent on diesel generated electricity, hence the move to connect these places to the national grid.
ZESCO has observed that this Power Grid Project that will be connecting all districts that are currently running on diesel generated power to the national electricity grid will save about US$ 8 million which it spends on fuel per annum.
