In development · Pre-feasibility completed July 2026
Reliable solar power for Southern Africa's copper corridor.
Kasempa Solar is a 50 MW solar photovoltaic plant with an 80 MWh battery energy storage system under development in Kasempa District, North-Western Province, Zambia — clean, storage-firmed generation for the region's mines, communities and grid.
Utility-scale bifacial PV on single-axis trackers — the technology basis for Kasempa SolarGrid interconnection engineered to Zambian Grid Code and ZESCO standards
Project overview
Sized to the market. Shaped to the grid.
A 50 MWac / ~65 MWp plant on single-axis trackers, integrated with a 20 MW / 80 MWh battery system that shifts output into the evening peak, firms contracted delivery and supports voltage on the provincial network.
Battery storage80 MWh20 MW BESS for evening-peak delivery
Annual energy~125 GWhIndicative P50, subject to feasibility study
InvestmentUS$58–68mEstimated project cost
CO₂e avoided~100 kt/yrVersus thermal and diesel alternatives
Target operation2029Commercial operation date
Location & grid
At the head of the Zambia–DRC power export corridor.
Kasempa District sits on North-Western Province's transmission axis — the corridor that serves Zambia's largest copper and nickel operations and, through interconnection now in development, the mining loads of the DRC Copperbelt.
Mining demand on both sides of the border is growing faster than supply. Kasempa Solar delivers generation where that demand concentrates: serving district and provincial loads first, with export reach as the corridor expands.
Every open assumption — from grid studies to community consent — is tracked in a hold register with a named closure activity, so partners, lenders and regulators can see exactly where the project stands.
Q2 2026 — CompleteMinistry of Energy engagement opened
Application for feasibility study authority lodged; ministerial response received confirming the private-development pathway.
Q3 2026 — CompletePre-feasibility report issued
Site envelopes screened, grid connection options defined, offtake architecture and indicative economics established.
Q3–Q4 2026 — In progressSite survey and community consent
Ground-truthing of candidate sites, traditional-authority engagement, and regulatory resubmission with surveyed coordinates.
2027Full feasibility study
Twelve-month solar measurement campaign, joint grid study with ZESCO, ESIA, land conversion, offtake term sheets and a bankable financial model.
2028Licensing, contracting and financial close
Generation licensing, power purchase agreements, EPC procurement and debt raising.
2029Construction and commercial operation
Sustainability & community
Shared value as contracted commitments.
Local employment first
A target of at least 90% Zambian construction workforce, with at least 60% recruited from Kasempa District through a transparent local employment desk — and Kasempa-first hiring for permanent operations roles.
Community development fund
An annual fund governed jointly with the Chiefdom and Kasempa Town Council, prioritising reliability for Mukinge Mission Hospital, water points and schools.
Environmental standards
The mitigation hierarchy — avoid, reduce, restore, compensate — applied from site selection onward, with full ESIA disclosure, a community grievance mechanism, and biodiversity management to IFC Performance Standards.
The developer
Optimum Earth Engineering Limited
Optimum Earth Engineering Limited (Lusaka) is the Zambian subsidiary of Optimum Earth (U) Ltd, a multidisciplinary water, hydrogeology, GIS and environmental consultancy headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, with more than a decade of technical delivery for clients including TotalEnergies, EACOP, NWSC, IUCN and UNICEF across Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, South Sudan and the DRC. In Zambia, the company is lead sponsor of the Pensulo–Mansa 330 kV transmission corridor development and is building a portfolio of generation and transmission infrastructure serving the region's energy transition.
Development partners
The project is engaging feasibility funders, development-equity partners, offtakers and licensed traders. The pre-feasibility report is available to qualified parties under a confidentiality agreement.
