Zambia solar tender sets Sub-Saharan price record

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A project developed in Uganda under its own GET FiT programme. Source: Access Power.

The latest GET FiT tender in Zambia has awarded 120MW of capacity and set a record low price for Sub-Saharan Africa.

The tender had originally been for 100MW but was extended, owing to the quality of the received bids.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

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 lowest bid of 3.999 Us cents per kWh is the first under the four-cent mark. The weighted average price across all projects was 4.41 cents.

The scheme is run by Zambia’s Department of Energy and the German development bank KfW.

“What has made this such a competitive outcome is the bankable standardised transaction agreements, the effective tender implementation and the steadfast commitment of the Government of Zambia and [state power company] ZESCO,” said Marco Freitag of KFW Development Bank.

The six winning bids were awarded in pairs to three successful bidders, whittled down from 23 consortia.

  • Two Proposals of Joint Venture Building Energy & Pele Energy – Bulemu East and West–20MWac each at USDc 3.999/kWhac.
  • Two Proposals of Joint Venture Globeleq & Aurora Power Solutions – Aurora Sola One and Two – 20MWac each at USDc 4.52/kWhac.
  • Two Proposals of Joint Venture of InnoVent and CEC – Garneton North and South Solar20MWac each at USDc 4.80/kWhac.

“It is important to recognise that these tariff results represent a truly competitive outcome. Not only were developers required to find and acquire their own suitable sites and pay for shallow grid connection, but GET FiT Zambia has offered no form of grant financing, nor has it arranged for concessional finance,” said Ryan Anderson, the tender agent team leader.

Read Next

July 23, 2026
Aquila Clean Energy APAC has energised the 38MW Omeheu solar PV power plant in Edgecumbe, situated in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty region.
July 22, 2026
The government of Kyrgyzstan is in discussions with Sunvera Solar over a solar cell manufacturing plant with a planned capacity of up to 2GW.
July 22, 2026
Yanara has secured a €150 million investment from Mirova to develop more than 2GW of multi-tech renewable energy projects across Australia.
July 22, 2026
Frontier Energy has appointed Monford Group EPC contractor for the 132MWdc stage one of its Waroona Renewable Energy Project.
Premium
July 21, 2026
PV Tech Premium speaks with Ember's Elisabeth Cremona on the 25GW of hydropower hybridisation potential across seven EU countries.
July 20, 2026
India's renewable energy ministry has extended the exemption from the ALMM List-II on PV cells for net-metering and open-access solar projects until the end of December 2026.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye