Zambia’s Proposed 112 MWp Kusoka Solar Plant Targets Trident Mine Power

Saturday 31st October 2026

By inAfrika Newsroom

Solarcentury Africa plans a 112-megawatt-peak solar plant to supply First Quantum Minerals’ Trident mining complex in Zambia’s North-Western Province. The proposed Kusoka project would serve operations that include the Sentinel copper and Enterprise nickel mines, linking renewable generation directly to industrial electricity demand.

The developer’s late-October announcement says it will own and operate the plant and has appointed YEO as engineering, procurement and construction contractor. That appointment covers design, equipment procurement, construction, testing and commissioning; it does not mean the plant is already generating electricity.

First Quantum’s results statement dated 28 October provides a useful qualification: Trident was still finalising its power offtake agreement for Kusoka. An offtake agreement sets the terms under which a customer buys electricity, so the announcement should be read as project development rather than a completed supply arrangement.

Solarcentury says the project’s merchant structure would also allow sales to other customers or through the Southern African Power Pool. A large mine can provide an anchor customer, while access to other buyers can give a generator alternatives when the mine does not require all available output.

The capacity figure needs careful interpretation. Megawatt-peak measures the panels’ rated output under standard test conditions; it does not describe continuous power delivered throughout the day and night, or establish how much annual electricity Kusoka will sell.

The wider reliability question remains significant. First Quantum reported that imports and domestic independent power producers supplied approximately 80% of its Zambian electricity requirements during the third quarter, with ZESCO providing the balance, and said it experienced no material power-related production impact during that period.

Additional solar could broaden that supply mix, but a mine still needs arrangements for periods when sunlight is unavailable. Grid access, operating coordination and the final commercial terms will determine how the planned capacity fits into dependable mine power, a challenge relevant to industrial energy investment elsewhere in the region.

The next meaningful milestones are completion of the supply agreement and evidence of construction and commissioning progress. The announcements reviewed do not establish a completed plant, a firm operating date or a verified electricity-price saving for the mines.

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