Prime Highlight
- Kanona Power plans to invest $100 million in a high-voltage transmission line connecting Zambia and Tanzania to strengthen the electricity supply.
- The project aims to support Zambia’s copper mining industry and provide faster power solutions ahead of a larger World Bank-backed interconnector.
Key Facts
- The transmission line will run from Mwakibete in Tanzania to Nakonde in Zambia and is expected to be completed within a year.
- Zambia heavily relies on hydropower, and the 2024 drought caused its worst energy crisis, highlighting the need for cross-border electricity imports.
Background
A Zambian energy trader has announced plans to invest $100 million in a power transmission line linking Zambia with neighbouring Tanzania, in a move aimed at strengthening electricity supply and supporting the country’s copper mining industry.
Kanona Power Co. said the high-voltage line would mark the first direct electricity connection between the two countries. The company expects to complete the project within a year, potentially bringing the line online well ahead of a larger regional transmission project backed by the World Bank.
Reliable power has become a major concern for Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer. The country relies heavily on hydropower and a severe drought in 2024 caused the worst energy crisis in its history. Although conditions have improved, the power system remains under pressure, particularly from energy-intensive copper mines.
Kanona said the new transmission line would help stabilise supply by increasing Zambia’s ability to import electricity from the region. The project will also add much-needed backup capacity to the national grid, reducing the risk of outages.
A company spokesperson said the line would not only boost power imports but also create grid redundancy to strengthen supply security across the country. The project is designed to work alongside a government-led transmission interconnector currently being developed by Zambia and Tanzania.
The proposed line will run between Mwakibete in southwestern Tanzania and Nakonde, a border town in northeastern Zambia. Kanona Power, founded in 2023, quickly became an active electricity trader in Zambia’s power market.
Interest in cross-border power infrastructure is growing across Africa as countries want to move electricity from areas with excess power to those with shortages. In 2024, the World Bank pledged funding for a high-voltage transmission line between Uganda and Tanzania.
Meanwhile, the competing Zambia–Tanzania interconnector, backed by $245 million in World Bank financing, has been under development for more than a decade and is expected to start operating around 2028.
Kanona’s project could provide a faster solution to Zambia’s immediate power needs.
