Abu Dhabi energy company Masdar will cooperate with the Zambian national utility ZESCO to co-develop 2 GW worth of solar power capacity in Zambia, starting with phased installation of an initial 500 MW, announced Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
This capacity will be realized as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and joint development agreement (JDA) between Zambia and the UAE which will facilitate massive investments in renewable energy in Zambia.
The 2 partners, Masdar and ZESCO, will enter a joint venture (JV) partnership to invest $2 billion to develop and deploy large scale solar power project across the country. "This is not a loan but a capital injection in which the Zambian people, through ZESCO, will be partners in shareholding," stated the President.
A British colony for over 70 years, Zambia has a cumulative of 3.5 GW power generation capacity. With the UAE's $2 billion support, it will add 2 GW capacity to support 'even more accelerated economic development and increased employment opportunities' for the denizens.
For Masdar it will be an opportunity to expand its solar footprint in Africa (see Masdar & TANESCO's 2 GW RE Deal For Tanzania).
Even beyond Africa, Masdar is growing its business rapidly. Recently, the company signed joint development agreements with the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) for 4 GW of onshore wind and solar energy projects along with integrated offshore wind and green hydrogen facilities. This is part of the UAE based company's implementation agreement with Azerbaijan for 10 GW renewable capacity (see Masdar To Explore 10 GW Clean Energy In Azerbaijan).
On January 10, 2023, Masdar also entered an agreement with the Energy Ministry of Kyrgyzstan to deploy up to 1 GW solar power capacity, starting with a 200 MW project to come online by 2026.