Building Solar Projects in Zambia

Zambia is one of the most compelling solar investment stories in Southern Africa. The country has strong solar irradiation, a clear need for new generation capacity, rising industrial demand and a national push to diversify away from hydro dependence. For international investors, developers, EPCs and power-sector partners, Zambia is no longer just an emerging opportunity. It is a market where energy shortages, policy reform and project momentum are creating real demand for bankable solar development.

That demand is being driven by a simple reality: Zambia needs more power. The country has historically depended heavily on hydropower, but drought conditions have exposed the vulnerability of that model. In 2024, government said the power system could face a deficit of roughly 450 to 500 megawatts, and ZESCO introduced emergency rationing and revised load-shedding schedules as the deficit intensified.

For solar investors, that matters for two reasons. First, there is a genuine market need for new generation. Second, the policy environment is increasingly being shaped around speed, diversification and private-sector participation. Zambia’s National Energy Compact targets a major shift in the generation mix, including increasing non-hydro renewables from 3% to 33% by 2030, while also expanding access and mobilising private capital into generation, transmission and distribution.

Why Zambia is attracting solar investment now

Zambia’s power sector is moving from a hydro-dominant model to a more diversified system. That shift is not theoretical. It is being backed by procurement activity, new project launches, transmission planning, net metering, open-access reform and explicit government support for solar. The Zambia Development Agency also highlights the energy sector as a priority area and points investors toward ZDA, ZESCO and renewable energy opportunities such as solar farms and mini-grids.

Government has also been signalling that it wants projects to move faster. In April 2025, the Ministry of Energy announced that the approval period for solar project applications had been reduced from more than six months to just 48 hours. Even where project timelines still depend on full permitting, land, financing and grid processes, that announcement is a strong signal that Zambia wants to accelerate solar investment rather than slow it down.

ZESCO has also introduced programmes that help broaden the renewable ecosystem. Its net metering programme officially launched on 1 August 2024, creating another pathway for renewable energy adoption in Zambia. At the utility and grid-scale level, ZESCO has also publicly linked solar development to the country’s drive toward greater energy security and reduced reliance on hydropower.

What incentives and frameworks should international solar investors know?

For larger projects, Zambia offers a combination of fiscal and non-fiscal investment support through the Zambia Development Agency framework. Under the ZDA incentives page, investments of at least US$500,000 in Multi-Facility Economic Zones, industrial parks, priority sectors or rural enterprises may qualify for incentives including accelerated depreciation on capital equipment and machinery and a 0% import duty rate on capital equipment and machinery for five years. For investments of at least US$250,000, non-fiscal support can include investment guarantees and facilitation for immigration permits, secondary licences, land acquisition and utilities.

On the power-market side, Zambia’s National Energy Compact highlights several frameworks that matter to investors: the Multi-Year Tariff Framework for a more predictable regulatory environment, the Electricity Open Access Framework for non-discriminatory use of transmission and distribution networks by third parties, and the Net Metering Policy Framework for distributed generation. These are important signals for international capital because they improve visibility around revenue structures, market access and long-term sector reform.

There are also newer climate-finance mechanisms emerging. In April 2026, the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment opened applications for the Carbon Feed-In Premium Programme for eligible grid-connected solar projects in Zambia. That is another sign that the country is developing additional tools to make renewable projects more commercially attractive.

What does it actually take to build a solar project in Zambia?

A successful solar project in Zambia is not just about finding a large piece of sunny land. That is one of the biggest misconceptions in the market.

A real utility-scale or commercial solar site must be assessed through a development lens. That includes land tenure, access roads, topography, flooding risk, geotechnical conditions, environmental constraints, community interface, corridor routing, evacuation options, substation proximity, substation capacity, line losses, interconnection cost and the likely time required to get from site control to grid connection.

In practice, developers typically need to think through at least the following:

1. Land position and tenure

Land must be legally usable for the intended project. In Zambia, that often means understanding whether land is already on title, privately held, state land or under customary tenure. Zambia’s legal framework allows conversion from customary tenure to leasehold, but that process requires proper approvals and should never be treated as a casual administrative step. For serious investors, land due diligence is one of the first gates to project bankability.

2. Environmental and social approvals

Large solar projects require environmental assessment work, and Zambia’s environmental regulator publishes Environmental Impact Statements for projects in the sector. In other words, environmental review is not optional. It is a core development workstream that affects timelines, community engagement, layout and financing.

3. Energy licensing and construction permissions

The Energy Regulation Board licenses enterprises conducting business in the energy sector. ERB also provides licence checklists for electricity generation and related activities, and its renewable-energy guidance notes that a provisional licence valid for six months may be issued once the application has been processed and the technical and financial requirements are met.

4. Grid connection and evacuation planning

This is where many apparently attractive sites fall apart. A site may look ideal on a map, but if the nearest viable substation is too far away, already constrained, or located behind a weak section of the network, the economics can deteriorate quickly. Zambia’s own utility planning documents show how central transmission corridors are to national power strategy, including reinforcement between Lusaka and Kabwe, stronger power transfer to the Copperbelt, and southern-corridor upgrades tied to new generation and evacuation needs.

5. Road access, logistics and buildability

Solar construction logistics are often underestimated. Can heavy equipment reach the site? Are bridges, road widths and turning radii suitable for transformers, trackers, modules and civil equipment? Are drainage works required? Is there enough nearby labour and contractor capacity? Is there water for construction? Does the project require a new access road or a transmission-line servitude through third-party land? These are not side issues. They are development-critical issues.

Why substations and corridors matter so much

For investors new to Zambia, one of the most important points is this: solar farms are infrastructure projects, not just real estate plays.

It is not enough for land to be flat and spacious. A viable solar site must also sit within a practical power corridor.

That means asking questions such as:

• How far is the site from the nearest substation?
• What voltage level is available there?
• Does that substation have spare transformation or switching capacity?
• Is the surrounding transmission network already constrained?
• What upgrades would be needed to evacuate power?
• Would the project require a dedicated line, bay extension or wider network reinforcement?
• Are there rivers, rail lines, settlements, hills or protected areas that complicate the corridor?
• Is there room for future expansion if the initial project is later upsized?

ZESCO’s public project list shows how closely generation planning and transmission planning are linked. Some projects are specifically tied to evacuation paths, corridor reinforcement or load growth in major economic zones. That is exactly why solar developers cannot assess land in isolation. Site selection must be done with the grid in mind from day one.

This is particularly relevant in provinces and corridors where demand growth, mining expansion, industrial loads and existing network constraints all interact. A site that is tenable in theory can become very expensive in practice if the interconnection scope is misunderstood.

Recent examples of solar projects completed and under way in Zambia

The market is moving quickly, and recent projects show that Zambia is building a meaningful solar pipeline rather than relying on isolated pilot plants.

In June 2025, Zambia inaugurated the 100MW Chisamba solar plant, described by Reuters as the country’s largest grid-connected solar power plant at the time. The project was expected to reduce reliance on electricity imports and free up domestic capacity for other consumers. Reuters also reported plans for a further 100MW expansion at the same site.

The Ministry of Energy’s 2025 budget statement said government had already commissioned 125MW through the Chisamba Phase One Solar PV Plant (100MW) and the Mailo Solar PV Plant in Serenje (25MW). The Ministry’s late-2025 project-pipeline statement also said that 347MW of new generation had been completed by 30 November 2025, specifically naming the 100MW Chisamba Solar PV Project and the 25MW Mailo Solar PV Plant among the completed projects.

In Luapula Province, ZESCO said in July 2025 that the Luapula 50MW Solar PV Plant in Mabumba Chiefdom, Mansa District, was under construction and expected to be completed by December 2025. ZESCO positioned the plant as part of the national response to the drought-driven energy deficit and the broader 1,000MW solar drive.

In Eastern Province, ZESCO announced in August 2025 that the Chipata West 100MW Solar PV project had broken ground and was expected to be delivered in 12 months. The same announcement linked the project to the national “solar explosion” initiative and to duty relief on imported solar equipment.

In Lusaka, the Ministry of Energy announced in January 2026 the launch of a 20MW solar power project at NRDC, being developed by ZESCO through Kiyona Energy Limited. According to the Ministry, construction had begun in November 2025 and was scheduled for completion in March 2026.

The wider pipeline also remains active. ZESCO’s public planning list includes future solar projects in locations such as Itezhi-Tezhi, Serenje/Kanona, Choma/Muzuma, Kabwe, Kafue Gorge Lower and Kariba, alongside major transmission works that support evacuation and regional power flows.

What makes a good solar site in Zambia?

From an investor’s perspective, a strong solar site in Zambia usually combines several advantages rather than just one.

A good site may offer:

• Reasonable distance to a viable substation or transmission node
• Enough land area for the target MW size and future expansion
• Favourable topography and drainage
• Clear and defensible land rights
• Good road access for construction logistics
• Limited social or environmental conflict risk
• A practical corridor for evacuation infrastructure
• Demand relevance, whether near mining, industrial or urban load centres
• A realistic path through licensing, environmental approvals and interconnection studies

That is why serious site origination is specialist work. A parcel of land may look excellent from a purely real-estate perspective and still be a poor solar-development candidate. Conversely, land that seems less obvious on first review may be highly attractive because of its proximity to a strong substation or transmission corridor.

How Homenet Zambia supports solar investors

Homenet Zambia understands that identifying land for solar development is not a simple property search. It is a process of matching land opportunity to infrastructure reality.

We understand the logistics and complications involved in solar site origination, including the importance of corridor positioning, substation proximity, practical access, land status and the procedures required to navigate the wider application and development process. We work with land and farms for sale that may be suitable for solar projects where the property is within reasonable distance of viable substations, including opportunities in the Copperbelt, Lusaka and Southern Province.

Importantly, Homenet Zambia does not list all available land publicly. Many opportunities are discreet, off-market, early-stage or best discussed in the context of a specific investor brief. We are already working with large investors in the solar arena, and where we do not currently have the right land listed, we can source it.

For international investors looking at utility-scale solar, C&I energy projects, hybrid developments or land-banking strategies tied to future grid expansion, that matters. The right land is rarely found by scrolling standard listings alone. It is found by combining market reach, infrastructure understanding and on-the-ground execution.

Looking at solar opportunities in Zambia?

If you are assessing solar development opportunities in Zambia, the conversation should start with your real project requirements:

• Target capacity
• Desired province or corridor
• Grid-connected or private offtake strategy
• Distance tolerance to substations
• Tenure preferences
• Access requirements
• Environmental or community constraints
• Budget range
• Project timeline

Once those are clear, site identification becomes far more efficient.

To discuss land, farms and site-sourcing opportunities for solar projects in Zambia, contact Homenet Zambia at investments[AT]homenetzambia.com. We can help you identify suitable opportunities in the Copperbelt, Lusaka and Southern Province, and we can also source land beyond our currently advertised portfolio based on your investment brief.