UK-based energy trading group BB Energy has switched on a 25 MW merchant solar facility in Zambia.
The first phase of the Mailo solar plant in central Zambia, owned by BB Energy’s subsidiary Solarcentury Africa, is now fully operational and actively trading electricity through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
This makes it the first dedicated merchant solar power plant to trade power directly to the SAPP, a competitive regional electricity market that connects utilities and large customers across Southern Africa. BB Energy says the model allows it to sell power into day-ahead, hourly and intra-day markets, as well as via bilateral contracts.
Developed, funded and built in less than a year, the Mailo solar site is currently capable of powering 25,000 homes based on average household consumption in Zambia. Construction was undertaken by Namibia’s Alensy Energy Solutions.
A second phase of the Mailo project, consisting of a further 35 MW, is currently under construction and due to reach capacity within a few months. Financing for the second phase of works has been secured via a $40 million loan from Standard Bank.
A third phase of works at the Mailo site is also planned, expected to take combined capacity to 118 MW by 2027.
A statement from BB Energy adds that construction is also progressing at its Gerus solar project in Namibia, a 20 MW site that reached financial closed last October.
Together, the projects contribute to Solarcentury Africa’s target of reaching a 500 MW merchant portfolio across the Southern African Development Community region.
Stephen Dihwa, SAPP Executive Director, says the commissioning of the first merchant solar power plant on the trading platform “marks a significant step towards accelerating renewable energy generation and advancing sustainable power trading across the region.”
Zambia had installed 196 MW of solar by the end of 2024, up from 134 MW by the end of the year prior, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In May, state-owned utility Zesco completed the 100 MW Chisamba solar farm in southern Zambia, currently the largest grid-connected solar facility in the country.
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