A Zambian energy trader is to invest $100 million in a power transmission line connecting Zambia and Tanzania, marking the first direct electrical connection between the two countries and providing a fresh supply of power for Zambia’s energy-intensive copper mines.
Kanona Power Co. claimed the high-voltage line may be operational within a year, potentially ahead of a far larger World Bank-backed regional transmission project aimed at completing the final grid link connecting Cape Town and Cairo, according to Bloomberg.
Reliable energy has grown increasingly important for Zambia’s copper sector, which is Africa’s second-largest producer of the metal. The country is extremely reliant on hydropower, and a severe drought in 2024 precipitated its biggest energy crisis on record, from which it is still recovering.
Kanona stated that their project will complement a government-led interconnector currently being developed by Zambia and Tanzania.
The new line would increase Zambia’s ability to import power while adding redundancy to the national grid, helping to stabilise supply. “It will not only increase Zambia’s capacity to bring imported power into the country, but it will also create the necessary redundancy to further strengthen the grid and secure supply,” a company spokesperson said in response to emailed questions.
Cross-border power infrastructure has risen in popularity across Africa as countries strive to transport electricity from surplus-generating regions to those experiencing recurrent shortages. Last year, the World Bank committed to building a high-voltage transmission line connecting Uganda and Tanzania.
Kanona’s proposed line will connect Mwakibete in southwestern Tanzania and Nakonde, a border town in northeastern Zambia. The company, founded in 2023, has quickly established itself as a major electricity trader in Zambia’s power market.
Meanwhile, the competing interconnector, funded by $245 million in World Bank finance, has been in construction for more than a decade and is anticipated to begin operations around 2028.