By Alfonso Kasongo
As Zambia continues to face daunting power deficits due to its heavy dependence on climate-prone hydro-power, significant strides are being made to transition to weather-resilient power generation initiatives.
Taking a leading role toward a more reliable energy mix Zambia, is the CEC Renewables Limited, a subsidiary of the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) PLC- incorporated in 2022, as a platform for renewable energy expansion,designed to scale-up the deployment of renewable energy across the national power grid.
In the first half of 2026, the Copperbelt power utility firm recorded a landmark achievement by raising its total renewable energy generation to 158.78 Gigawatt-hours (GWh).
This represents a significant 97% increase from the 80.75 GWh produced during the same period of last year ( 2025).
The increase comes as Zambia seeks to reduce its dependence on hydropower, which remains vulnerable to drought and changing weather conditions.
Apart from bolstering national power generation capacity, this surge in green energy production successfully avoided a notable 53,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions—roughly equivalent to taking 11,500 typical gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for a period of one year.
Driving the Surge: The Itimpi II project milestone
CEC has attributed this performance to the successful commissioning and integration of the 136 MW Itimpi II Solar PV project, supported by strong operational efficiency across its entire portfolio.
CEC Renewable Managing Director Hilton Fulele has stated that the firm’s renewables sector delivered unprecedented performance during the six months ending June 30, 2026,mainly driven by steady progress in implementation of the company’s renewable investment strategy.
“A key milestone achieved during the period was the successful commissioning and integration of the 136 MW Itimpi II Solar PV project, increasing the Company’s installed solar generation capacity from 94 MW to 230 MW,” Fulele said.
“This significant expansion strengthens our generation portfolio, increases the availability of locally generated renewable energy, and provides additional capacity to support growing energy demand.”
CEC’s current installed 230 MW solar capacity is spread between two plants- A 34 MW plant in Riverside, Kitwe, and the newly expanded 196 MW facility at Itimpi Park, Kitwe.
Following the completion of major construction at Itimpi II plant, CEC’s capital expenditure reduced to USD 16.6 million down from USD 42.075 million in the first half of 2025; The situation which triggered a shift in management’s focus from building to maximizing the value of these completed assets.
Strong financial
According to CEC recently released renewable results (unaudited) for the first half of 2026, the operational metrics behind this generation surge were exceptionally tight. Average plant availability remained strong at 99.96%, while the portfolio achieved an average performance ratio of 83.59%.
This operational efficiency translated directly into financial growth, resulting in revenue upward movement to USD 9.555 million, up from USD 4.657 million in the same period of 2025.
Aligning with national goals
Energy Expert Engineer Boniface Zulu has commended CEC’s performance, noting that the double achievement of scaling power while avoiding emissions offers a practical example of how renewable energy can contribute to national development while offering environmental protection.
“In simple terms, it means less pollution released into the atmosphere, helping to reduce the effects of climate change while improving air quality for communities,” Engineer Zulu has explained.
Meanwhile, he has underscored that the company’s investment in solar energy is strengthening Zambia’s energy security by increasing electricity supply from clean and locally available resources.
He has added that this is not only helping reduce pressure on hydro-power, especially during drought periods, but is also creating a more reliable energy mix.
Eng. Zulu added that CEC’s trajectory perfectly aligns with the Growth Zambia Agenda and the country’s Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).
The 8NDP targets an increase in national power generation capacity to 4,457 megawatts (MW) by the end of this year, up from 3,307.43 MW in 2021. More importantly ,the 8NDP aims to raise the share of non-large-hydro renewables in the national grid from 3 percent to 10 percent over the same period.
Eng Zulu has therefore indicated that CEC’s strong performance demonstrates that clean energy can simultaneously support economic development, attract investment, create jobs, and ensure environmental protection.
Engineer Zulu is an Energy Expert.