Thermal power plant works advance
THE construction of the country’s first thermal power plant at Maamba Coal Mine in Sinazongwe district has advanced.
The US$550 million plant, being built at the Maamba coal mine premises, is 80 percent complete.
Maamba Collieries Limited chief operations officer Gurram Venkata Narayana said the plant, which is expected to start contributing 600 megawatts (MW) to the national grid when at full capacity, will start with an initial 300MW at the time of being commissioned.
Mr Narayana said major civil works have been constructed by the main contractor, Shangdong Electric Power Corporation (SEPCO) and is remaining with electrical and mechanical works to complete the plant, which has created hundreds of jobs for the locals.
He said 101 out of 109, towers have been constructed while 50 towers for the 330 power lines which will be ferrying power to Muzuma power station for connection to the national grid, have been erected.
“This is the first of its kind, the technology is advanced,” he said.
Mr Narayan said, “We are planning to commission this [plant] by the end of this year or early 2016.”
SEPCO began building the plant in 2012 to mark a turnaround of the country’s biggest coal mine which produces huge quantities of low grade coal.