# Zambia Builds Out Solar and Thermal Power Ahead of a Feared Repeat El Nino Drought

> After a 2024 drought gutted hydropower output and triggered nationwide blackouts, the state utility says more than 1,000 new megawatts of solar capacity should keep the lights on this time around.

- Source: African Economy
- Canonical URL: https://africaneconomy.net/article/zambia-prepares-el-nino-drought-blackouts
- Author: African Economy Staff
- Section: Energy & Resources
- Published: 2026-10-21T11:19:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T11:19:20.000Z
- Tags: Zambia, El Nino, hydropower, solar energy, electricity

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Zambia's state power utility says it has added enough solar and thermal generation capacity over the past year to withstand another severe El Nino-driven drought, after the 2024 dry season gutted hydropower output and triggered nationwide blackouts, according to a report by Forbes Africa. Zambia normally generates more than 80 percent of its electricity from hydropower, a dependence that left the country badly exposed when the 2024 rainy season turned out to be among the driest the region had seen in years.

ZESCO Regional Manager Kennedy Muchanga said the utility has added more than 1,000 megawatts of solar capacity over the last year, alongside roughly 635 megawatts of new thermal power, nearly double the backup capacity that was available during the 2024 crisis. He described that buildout as giving Zambia a real buffer this time, saying the added green capacity means the country should be able to sustain itself if a similarly severe drought hits again, and characterized the current supply situation as very stable.

Muchanga identified transmission infrastructure as the next bottleneck still to be addressed, with new lines planned both to move power more reliably within Zambia and to support electricity exports through the Southern African Power Pool, along with new interconnectors linking Zambia to neighboring countries. The buildout reflects a broader shift across the region toward diversifying away from pure hydropower dependence, after years in which a single bad rainy season could still cascade into widespread blackouts.

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Originally published by African Economy. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://africaneconomy.net/article/zambia-prepares-el-nino-drought-blackouts.