LUSAKA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Tuesday initiated the construction of its second 300 megawatts coal-fired power plant as part of the efforts to tackle the country's electricity deficit.
The 400-million U.S. dollars project, situated in southern Zambia's Sinazongwe district, will be undertaken by Maamba Collieries Limited, which is 65 percent owned by Singapore-based Nava Bharat and 35 percent owned by the Zambian government through Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings.
The construction works are expected to take about 24 months.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said the construction is a step toward realizing the government's dream of achieving energy sufficiency and surplus.
He commended Maamba for its decision to invest in the second power plant, saying Zambia's central location in the region makes it ideal for companies to invest in the energy sector because of the huge regional market.
Hichilema expressed happiness that the public-private partnership model is bringing results and called for more investments in infrastructure projects using the model.
He said Maamba has a ready Zambian market for electricity following the signing of a 20-year power purchasing agreement with state-owned power utility, Zesco Limited.
Maamba set up its first 300 megawatts plant in Zambia in 2016. The new plant will be identical to the existing plant and will have two generating units of 150 megawatts each, increasing the total number of units to four. ■