POWERCHINA-Contracted Large Hydropower Station in Zambia Begins Operation

The first generator unit of the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station in Zambia went into operation on June 30, local time.

The station is designed to be equipped with five mixed-flow generator units and has a total installed capacity of 750 megawatts.

Its roller-compacted concrete gravity dam is 130.5 meters high and was built with 1.3 million cubic meters of concrete - the most in the country for this kind of dam.

The station is the first large hydropower station and the largest single infrastructure that has been contracted by Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA) in the country in 40 years.

It is also a demonstrative project of the Belt and Road Initiative and a top priority under cooperation between China and Zambia.

Once fully operated, the project is expected to relieve power shortages in Zambia by improving its power output by 38 percent. In addition, it will also play a role in transformation of the country's energy structure and boost its economic and social development.

The first generator unit of the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station in Zambia starts operation on June 30. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Niu Yilin)