Zambia’s installed generating capacity has reached 4,722 megawatts (MW), up from 3,777 MW in 2024 and nearly twice peak demand of about 2,400 MW, energy ministry figures presented on 8 October show. Solar capacity rose from 178 MW to 1,028 MW, passing the 2026 target, after a drought in 2024 cut hydropower output and caused long power cuts. President Hakainde Hichilema warned that transmission and distribution lag behind new generation. A planned $300 million line from Kalumbila to Kolwezi, backed by a Congolese sovereign fund, Trafigura and the investor Gridworks, would carry up to 550 MW to the copper mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Grid investment will decide how much of the surplus Zambia can sell.