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Zambia sits on 3,800 MW of installed capacity, yet drought cut usable output to about 1,200 MW — a cautionary tale of single-source dependence. With 6,000 MW of hydropower potential, a 36-billion-m³ Kariba allocation in 2026 and a 9,000 MW IPP pipeline at ZESCO, diversification through solar hybridisation and new hydro is now national policy.
| Electricity access (WDI) | 51.1 % (2023) |
| Installed capacity | 3,800 MW installed; ≈1,200 MW available during drought (2026) |
| Hydropower potential | 6,000 MW (IHA) |
| Utility / grid operator | ZESCO |
| Key fact | Kariba 2026 water allocation: 36 billion m³; $294 M dam rehabilitation completes 2026 (World Bank / AfDB / EU) |
Data: World Bank World Development Indicators (EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS, 2023), CC BY 4.0 · IHA country profiles.
Hydro-solar hybridisation is Zambia's fastest new-value play: Kafue Gorge Lower is adding 200 MW of solar to its 750 MW hydro plant, and Lunsemfwa applies the same logic on smaller schemes. TC × HIER supplies governors, controls and SCADA upgrades that let existing hydro back up solar smoothly.
The rehabilitation pipeline is equally deep: the Kariba dam safety works, planned refits of legacy ZESCO stations and the 789 MW, $1.7 B Luapula scheme all call for turbines, gates, transformers and switchgear — with local service support after commissioning.