Mansa Solar Plant to Feed 14MW Into National Grid Next Month as Transmission Delays Slow Full Rollout

Mansa, Zambia — The long-awaited Mansa Solar Plant will begin supplying 14 megawatts of electricity to the national grid next month, ZESCO Managing Director Justine Loongo has announced. However, the output remains far below the site’s full 50-megawatt capacity due to delays in completing key transmission infrastructure.

Speaking during an inspection of the US$48 million project in Luapula Province, Loongo said the solar farm itself is virtually complete and “technically ready” for commissioning, but the evacuation line that carries power from the facility to the national grid is still under construction.

“We should have been commissioned in December, but the delays on the evacuation line pushed us back,” Loongo said. “Because of that, we can only evacuate 14 megawatts for now.”

The incomplete transmission line means ZESCO cannot immediately draw the full capacity from the newly built solar plant. According to Loongo, the remaining works are expected to be finished by March or April next year, at which point the utility will begin feeding the full 50 megawatts into the grid.

Despite the partial supply, Loongo said Luapula Province will see a “noticeable reduction” in load shedding once the initial 14 megawatts come online in December. The real transformation, however, will be felt only once the entire plant is operational.

The project, developed by ZESCO in partnership with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), sits on a 50-hectare site about five kilometres from Mansa town in Chief Mabumba’s chiefdom. Once fully commissioned, the facility will generate enough electricity to power between 15,000 and 20,000 households significantly boosting energy stability in Mansa and surrounding districts.

Loongo also revealed that the experience of launching a completed plant without a ready transmission line has forced ZESCO to revise its strategy for future projects.

“Going forward, we will prioritize evacuation lines before construction of generating stations to ensure we don’t have power plants waiting for transmission infrastructure,” he said.

The Mansa Solar Plant is considered a key component of Zambia’s broader push to diversify its energy mix and reduce reliance on hydropower, which has been strained by recurrent droughts. The full commissioning early next year is expected to deliver a major boost to national energy security.