In 2024, Zambia, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, experienced declining rainfall, dropping river levels, and a sharp decrease in hydropower output. As a result, residential power supply became intermittent and industrial activities were constrained. To address these energy challenges, Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd. stepped up to fulfill its social responsibility as a Chinese state-owned enterprise overseas. Leveraging its mature clean energy technologies and tapping Zambia’s abundant solar resources, the company delivered customized, integrated green energy solutions, successfully implementing two landmark projects—the CNBM Zambia Industrial Park Green Energy Supply Projectand the Maamba 100MWac PV Power Project—which resolved the dual challenges of ensuring stable industrial production and reliable household electricity.

Adapting to Local Conditions, Green Power Opened a New Chapter

Zambia, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, was once known as the “Kingdom of Hydropower” thanks to the abundant flow of the Zambezi River, with over 80% of its electricity generated by hydropower. However, climate change has disrupted this balance in recent years—rainfall has become more unpredictable, droughts more frequent, and reservoir water levels have repeatedly hit record lows. As water flows became erratic, the power grid grew unstable: rolling blackouts shifted from occasional to routine, industrial production was forced to scale back, and small and medium-sized enterprises had to bear diesel generation costs several times higher than normal electricity tariffs for every kilowatt-hour.

To break free from the risks of a hydro-only energy mix and adapt to new conditions under climate change, the Zambian government introduced several special plans and supportive policies, revising the country’s top-level energy development strategy. Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd., with years of experience in overseas clean energy markets, leveraged its strengths and proactively expanded its footprint. Drawing on its deep technical expertise and overseas track record in waste heat recovery power generation, distributed PV power generation, and integrated energy services, combined with Zambia’s abundant sunshine and industrial waste heat resources, the company custom-designed a comprehensive green energy solution tailored to local conditions. This hybrid clean energy model aims to fill the power supply gap left by hydropower and chart a path out of the electricity crisis that fits Zambia’s national conditions.

Innovation-Driven, Harnessing Solar and Waste Heat for New Momentum

One project powers an industrial park, and another benefits the wider region. Through scientific planning, Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd. has built two flagship clean energy projects in Zambia, both supported by cutting-edge technologies.

The CNBM Zambia Industrial Park Green Energy Supply Project breaks the limitations of single-source energy utilization. By applying fourth-generation waste heat recovery technology and an integrated solution, it enhances equipment stability and waste heat recovery capacity, converting waste flue gas heat from cement production lines into usable electricity and achieving circular utilization of industrial waste energy. Adopting the BOO model, the project establishes a dual-energy system where “waste heat provides the base load and PV covers peak demand.” Through cascade energy utilization and multi-energy coordination, it ensures stable power output around the clock, fundamentally solving grid fluctuations and production shutdowns caused by power cuts, thereby safeguarding safe production in the industrial park.

In line with local terrain and sunlight conditions, the team upgraded adaptive PV mounting systems, optimized panel layout and tilt angles, and adapted to complex working conditions while boosting power generation efficiency by 6%. The project’s 36 MWp PV plant was fully connected to the grid in March 2026, passed completion acceptance in May, and began feeding surplus electricity into the grid. For the supporting 7.5 MW waste heat power generation unit, civil works and equipment procurement have been completed, and the project is now in the equipment installation phase, with commissioning expected in the second half of this year. Together, the two systems will form a complementary day-night power supply pattern, enabling the park to achieve zero purchased electricity from the external grid, completely eliminating external grid risks, and allowing surplus power to be sold to the grid, achieving both industrial and social benefits.

The Maamba 100MWac PV Power Project, leveraging local land and solar resources, is a large-scale centralized PV base that feeds all generated electricity into the national backbone grid. It strengthens the power supply in the southern region, optimizes the national grid structure, and alleviates power shortages and high electricity prices. The project employs high-durability bifacial modules suited to the local climate for excellent generation performance, and is equipped with an intelligent tracking system to maximize solar resource utilization. To address grid weaknesses, it is fitted with smart grid-connection and voltage stabilization technology to ensure large-capacity green power is smoothly integrated, comprehensively improving the quality of power supply across the service area.

Overcoming Challenges with Determination and Hard Work

Expanding green energy overseas is never a smooth road. Cross-border approvals and logistics introduced uncertainties, and coordination among domestic and overseas teams grew increasingly challenging, putting the schedule under pressure. To break the deadlock, Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd. quickly set up a joint task force linking domestic and overseas operations, implementing a 24/7 on-duty mechanism. The domestic team coordinated real-time with logistics channels and dynamically updated customs clearance documents; local staff were stationed at ports and border crossings to expedite approvals and customs clearance; and nightly cross-border online meetings were held to review and optimize transport plans. After weeks of intensive coordination, the accumulated materials were finally delivered to the site in batches.

Weather posed another severe test. Early this year, months of continuous rain turned the construction site into mud, creating harsh working conditions and drastically reducing effective construction time. Faced with this situation, the site team did not wait. They quickly developed a special rainy-season construction plan: setting up rainproof facilities, adjusting work sequences, and implementing shift rotations, adopting a “work as soon as the rain stops, day and night” mode. During those days, under the hard hats it was hard to tell rain from sweat; rubber boots got stuck in mud and were pulled out to keep going. Whenever the rain paused, they rushed back to work. With strict safety and quality controls, everyone raced against the clock, recovering lost schedule time through perseverance and grit.

Lighting Up Africa, Working Together for a Win-Win Future

The projects brought more than just electricity—they brought change. During the construction and operation of the industrial park and the PV power station, hundreds of local Zambian workers found jobs. Many young people started as general laborers and, through skills training provided by the Chinese teams, gradually mastered technical skills in power station construction and PV operation and maintenance, becoming qualified technicians. Stable incomes have improved their family lives; some renovated their old houses, others bought new household appliances.

The deeper impact lies in the electricity itself. With improved grid reliability, nearby small processing plants no longer rely on expensive diesel generators, significantly reducing production costs. Several local small business owners said that with a stable power supply, they finally dared to expand production and hire more employees. These seemingly small changes add up to the deepest value of the project.

Makozo Chikote, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Zambia, noted that the Maamba 100MWac PV Power Project is an important milestone in the local clean energy strategy, effectively optimizing the power mix, alleviating supply shortages, and reducing dependence on hydropower. He expressed hope that Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd. will continue to leverage its technological strengths to support power infrastructure development, economic growth, and livelihood improvement in Zambia and Southern Africa, and enhance the region’s sustainable development capacity.

The two projects are not only livelihood and industrial projects that address local energy bottlenecks, but also exemplary projects that implement the Belt and Road principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and deepen the China-Africa community with a shared future. Over the years, Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd. has remained committed to practical action, actively fulfilling its social responsibility as an overseas Chinese enterprise, and using green technology, low-carbon models, and talent development to deepen practical China-Africa cooperation and strengthen the bonds of friendship. Going forward, Sinoma Energy Conservation Ltd. will continue to base its efforts on African needs and export Chinese green technology, low-carbon solutions, and hands-on experience, working hand in hand with Africa to draw a beautiful blueprint of collaborative win-win and green sustainability.