Solarcentury Africa, part of the BB Energy Group, has announced a collaboration with First Quantum Minerals (FQM) to develop the 112MWp Kusoka Solar Plant to power FQM’s Trident mining operations in Zambia’s North-Western Province.
The plant will be owned and operated by Solarcentury Africa, and Istanbul-headquartered YEO has been appointed as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
The Kusoka Solar Plant will deliver electricity “primarily” to the FQM Sentinel copper and Enterprise nickel mines, according to Solarcentury Africa. The company added that the power generation facility is being developed on a merchant basis so it can sell to other organisations or on the network defined as the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP).
The SAPP is an agreement between national electricity companies across Southern Africa creating a common power grid between the 12 participating countries and a common market for electricity sales and purchases.
According to the SAPP, participating countries have 60.7GW of generation capacity in operation, in excess of the 50.8GW of peak demand. While Zambia has 224MW more generation capacity in operation than peak demand, seven of the participating countries currently do not have the domestic capacity necessary to meet peak demand.
Speaking on the Kusoka Solar Plant project, Jason de Carteret, CEO of Solarcentury Africa said: “By combining generation tailored to FQM’s operations with the flexibility of our merchant power model, we aim to help diversify its electricity supply.”
2025 saw the inauguration of Zambia’s largest standalone solar PV installation, the 100MW Kabwe solar power plant. The facility is being constructed by PowerChina in the country’s Central Province.
