An aerial view of the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station.
The Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station is located 90 kilometers southeast of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.
The hydropower station features a roller-compacted concrete gravity dam with a height of 130.5 meters and a crest length of 374.5 meters. A total of 1.3 million cubic meters of concrete was used in its construction, and it boasts a maximum water storage height of 129 meters and a maximum reservoir capacity of 84 million cubic meters.
Construction of the hydropower station commenced in November 2015, and the first generating unit was commissioned for electricity production on July 1, 2021. The project consists of a total of five generating units with a total installed capacity of 750 megawatts. Edgar Lungu, then-president of Zambia, attended the unveiling ceremony and cut the ribbons for the first generating unit.
The Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station is a critical power generation facility that serves as the cornerstone for stabilizing the power supply in southern Africa, playing a vital role in ensuring power supply for Zambia and the Southern African power pool.
It is the largest single infrastructure project in Zambia in nearly 40 years, often compared to the "Three Gorges Project" of China. The power station has increased Zambia's power supply capacity by 38 percent and plays a crucial role in peak load regulation and frequency control for the Zambian power grid.
