Chisamba 100MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Project – Zambia

In 2024, our team successfully partnered with a leading independent power producer (IPP) in Zambia to provide a full set of customized photovoltaic (PV) cable solutions for the Chisamba 100MW Ground-Mounted Solar Power Plant Project. We completed the cable export and delivery smoothly, helping the project achieve grid connection and power generation in 2025. This cooperation not only effectively solved the long-term power shortage in the region but also became a benchmark project for our team to expand the African PV cable market. It also provided a replicable cable application reference for large-scale ground-mounted solar projects in other African countries such as Egypt. As a team specializing in the R&D, production and export of PV cables, we have won high recognition from customers with our certified products, precise pain point solutions and efficient delivery services. This article will use a realistic perspective to break down the entire cooperation process, clearly demonstrating our product advantages, service capabilities, and the whole process of working with customers to solve power problems.

I. The Emergence of PV Demand in Zambia and Cooperation Opportunities

As a major copper-producing country in Africa, Zambia has long been in a state of tight power demand, with a fatal flaw in its power structure: more than 80% of the country's power relies on hydropower, mainly supported by water conservancy facilities such as the Kariba Dam. In contrast, thermal power and diesel generators account for a very low proportion and have high power generation costs. At the same time, the power grid lacks sufficient redundant backup capacity. The disadvantages of this structure are particularly prominent during the dry season—once a drought occurs, the water level of the reservoir drops, and hydropower generation capacity is directly halved, leading to frequent load shedding across the country, with industrial areas experiencing power outages for several hours every day. Among them, copper mining enterprises, the pillar of the national economy, face the risk of serious production suspension due to power outages and have to invest a lot of funds in self-provided power sources, resulting in a significant increase in operating costs. The power dilemma has become a core bottleneck restricting local economic development.

Against this background, solar energy is no longer a purely environmental choice for Zambia, but a "rigid demand" driven by both survival and economy. On the one hand, copper mining enterprises consume a huge amount of electricity, and the production suspension losses caused by unstable power grids are unbearable. They have successively laid out 10MW–50MW self-built PV projects with diesel backup systems. On the other hand, due to insufficient power supply, the Zambian government was forced to open up to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), simplify the approval process for PPP projects, and attract enterprises to participate in PV project construction with Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). At the same time, the intervention of the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and African Development Bank (AfDB) has further promoted the implementation of large and medium-sized PV projects. The Chisamba 100MW PV project was launched in this context, and high-quality, internationally certified PV cables have become the core guarantee for the smooth progress of the project, which also brought important cooperation opportunities for our Zambia PV cable export business.

II. Core Customer Pain Points: Five Major Difficulties, Cable Selection as a Key Breakthrough

The customer of this cooperation is a well-known local IPP in Zambia. Its core demand is to build a stable, efficient and compliant large-scale PV power station to solve the power supply problem for itself and surrounding mining areas and reduce operating costs. However, during the project progress, it faced five core pain points, each of which directly affected the project landing:

1. Frequent Power Outages Due to Hydropower Dependence: The dry season is normalized in the region, and hydropower generation is unstable. The project needs to ensure that the power station can still supply power stably during the low hydropower period, which places extremely high requirements on the stability and adaptability of the cables;

2. High and Volatile Power Costs: The customer previously relied on diesel power generation to supplement power supply, resulting in high costs. It urgently needed to reduce operating costs through PV projects, which required supporting cables to have the characteristics of low loss and high efficiency to reduce waste during power transmission;

3. Unstable and Frequent Fluctuations of Power Grid: The local power grid has insufficient redundancy and large voltage fluctuations, which are likely to cause loss of PV equipment. Cables need to be combined with inverter voltage stabilization technology to achieve stable voltage transmission and reduce the risk of equipment failure;

4. Complex Construction and Operation Environment: Zambia has strong outdoor sunlight, large temperature differences between day and night, and the project site is mostly a field mining area with high construction difficulty. Cables need to be resistant to high temperature, UV radiation and mechanical damage, and at the same time easy to install on site to extend service life;

5. Difficulties in Project Approval and Financing: The project is an IPP cooperation model, which needs to meet the compliance requirements of international financing and local PPP projects. Supporting cables must have authoritative international certifications and provide complete technical data, otherwise, it will be impossible to pass approval and obtain financing support.

During the initial selection process, the customer compared multiple suppliers and finally chose us. The core reason is that we can accurately match all their pain point needs, with complete product certifications, guaranteed quality, rich experience in supplying cables for similar PV projects, and can provide customized services throughout the process.

III. Customized Solutions: Pain Point-Oriented, Full-Process Cable Precise Adaptation

In response to the five core pain points faced by the customer, our team conducted in-depth surveys of the project site, accurately calculated power transmission needs, and strictly benchmarked international compliance standards to tailor a full set of PV cable solutions for the Chisamba 100MW PV project. The solutions cover the entire power transmission link of the power station from component series connection to grid connection. The model and cross-sectional specification of each cable are scientifically calculated, which not only solves the actual problems of the customer but also highlights our product advantages. The specific solutions are as follows:

1. PV Module to Combiner Box (DC Side PV Cable): Model H1Z2Z2-K (cross-section: 1×4mm² or 1×6mm²), mainly used for transmitting power from series-connected PV modules to the combiner box, which is the foundation of DC side transmission. In response to the pain point of strong outdoor sunlight and high temperature in Zambia, this cable has the advantages of UV resistance, long-term stable operation at 90°C and mechanical damage resistance, which can effectively avoid damage and aging during field construction—compared with ordinary cables (outdoor service life less than 3 years), our H1Z2Z2-K cable has a service life of more than 25 years, which greatly reduces long-term operation and maintenance costs, and this is one of the core reasons why the customer chose us.

2. Combiner Box to Inverter (Main DC Cable): Model H1Z2Z2-K (cross-section: 16mm² / 25mm²), undertakes the core task of transmitting DC power from the combiner box to the inverter, and needs to adapt to long-distance wiring needs. In response to the customer's pain point of high power costs, this cable takes low loss and high stability as its core advantages. Through optimized material design, it reduces power transmission loss by more than 30%, which can save a lot of power costs for the customer in long-term use. At the same time, it can resist current fluctuations, avoid failures in the AC-DC conversion link, and ensure smooth transmission.

3. Inverter Output to Step-Up Substation (AC Side Cable): Model YJV 0.6/1kV (3×70mm² & 3×120mm²), responsible for transmitting AC power converted by the inverter to the step-up substation, adapting to industrial-grade operation scenarios. In response to the pain point of frequent local power grid fluctuations, this cable has the characteristics of heat resistance and voltage fluctuation resistance, which can stably withstand voltage shocks, avoid breakdown, short circuit and other failures, with a failure rate of less than 0.5%, which is far better than ordinary AC side cables (prone to failures due to voltage fluctuations), laying a solid foundation for stable power supply of the power station.

4. Step-Up Substation to Grid Connection Point (Medium Voltage Cable): Model NA2XSY 12/20kV or 18/30kV ( 1×240mm² & 1×300mm²), mainly used for transmitting high-voltage power from the step-up substation to the national power grid, which is the key to project grid connection. In response to the pain point of complex field construction environment, this cable has the advantages of long-distance power transmission, high reliability, and resistance to mechanical and environmental stresses. It adopts special sheath material, which can effectively resist field mechanical collisions and extreme temperature differences, ensure trouble-free high-voltage transmission, and help the project achieve grid connection smoothly.

5. Control and Monitoring Cable: Model KVVP 4×1.5mm², used in SCADA/monitoring systems to transmit operating data of inverters, combiner boxes and other equipment. In response to the problem of strong electromagnetic interference in the power station, this cable adopts a shielding layer design, with the advantages of anti-interference and environmental resistance, which can ensure accurate transmission of monitoring data, avoid missed detection of equipment failures due to data distortion, and reduce long-term operation and maintenance workload.

6. Special Supporting Guarantees for Pain Points: In addition to core cable selection, we provide additional special support for the customer's five major pain points to ensure the completeness of the solution:

- Solving Unstable Hydropower: Adopting a hybrid design of PV and energy storage, combined with PV1-F 4–6mm² DC module cables and energy storage supporting cables to ensure stable power supply for mining areas during low hydropower periods;

- Reducing Operating Costs: Locking in electricity prices through long-term PPA, combined with PV1-F 16–25mm² combiner cables and YJV 3×120mm² AC output cables to further reduce transmission loss;

- Stabilizing Power Grid Voltage: Combining inverter voltage stabilization technology, selecting NA2XSY 12/20kV or 18/30kV medium voltage cables and KVVP/LiYCY control cables to reduce equipment loss;

- Adapting to Complex Environment: All cables adopt high-temperature and UV-resistant materials, among which PV1-F XLPO sheath and YJV high-temperature UV-resistant sheath cables are combined with prefabricated construction to reduce installation difficulty and extend service life;

- Assisting Compliance Approval: Providing a full set of certified cables and technical data. Our PV cables hold TUV EN 50618 certificate (Certificate No.: B 126326 0001 Rev.00), and other cables have national standard TÜV and IEC 62930 (basic) certifications, with optional UL4703 certification, fully meeting the requirements of PPP/IPP projects and international financing.

IV. Complete Certifications + Quality Control, Building a Solid Safety Line for the Project

In addition to precise solutions, the core reason why the customer chose us is that our products are safe and guaranteed with complete certifications, which is also one of the core competitiveness of our team. We always put product quality first, and all PV cables have undergone strict production control and quality inspection to ensure that each batch of products meets international standards.

Among them, our PV cables hold TUV EN 50618 certificate (Certificate No.: B 126326 0001 Rev.00), and other cables have national standard TÜV and IEC 62930 (basic) certifications, with optional UL4703 certification, fully meeting the compliance requirements of Zambian IPP projects and international financing. It is also the key for the customer to successfully pass project approval and obtain financing. In addition, we have rich experience in undertaking similar projects, and have successfully completed cable supply for multiple large African PV projects before. The quality has been tested by the market, which can effectively avoid project delays, failures and other risks caused by cable quality problems, building a solid safety line for the Chisamba 100MW PV project.

V. Efficient Response to Ensure On-Time Project Grid Connection

During the project cooperation, our team responded efficiently throughout the process, fully cooperated with the customer to promote the project progress, solved various unexpected problems, and ensured the smooth completion of the delivery work. Considering the inconvenience of logistics and long cycle in Zambia, we planned the logistics plan in advance, optimized the production process, realized rapid production and timely delivery, and greatly shortened the delivery time—compared with the industry average delivery time, our delivery speed is increased by more than 20%, ensuring that the cables are delivered to the project site on time without affecting the construction progress.

At the same time, we arranged a professional technical team to provide technical support throughout the process, including cable selection guidance, on-site installation suggestions, and post-operation maintenance training, helping the customer solve technical problems encountered during installation, and ensuring that each cable can be correctly installed and operate efficiently. In addition, we have established a complete after-sales service system. After the project is connected to the grid, we regularly visit customers, timely understand the operation status of the cables, and provide free maintenance and maintenance suggestions to solve the customer's worries.

VI. Project Achievements: Win-Win for All Parties, Establishing an Industry Benchmark

Through the joint efforts of our team and the customer, the Chisamba 100MW PV project successfully connected to the grid and generated power in 2025, achieving significant economic and social benefits:

1. Solving the Power Supply Problem: After the project is connected to the grid, it has effectively supplemented the local power supply in Zambia, alleviated the load shedding pressure, and the surrounding mining areas no longer need to worry about production suspension due to power outages, with the power supply stability increased by more than 80%;

2. Reducing Operating Costs: By replacing part of diesel power generation with PV power generation and matching our low-loss cables, the customer can save millions of yuan in power costs every year, and the investment return rate is greatly improved;

3. Achieving Compliant Operation: With the fully certified cables and complete technical data provided by us, the project successfully passed the international financing approval and local PPP project acceptance, becoming a model of Zambian IPP projects;

4. Establishing a Cooperation Benchmark: This cooperation not only won high recognition from the customer, who fully affirmed our product quality, delivery efficiency and technical services, but also laid a solid foundation for our team to further expand the African PV cable market. Subsequently, many PV projects in Zambia and Egypt have taken the initiative to contact us to seek cooperation.

VII. Winning Trust with Strength, Forging Long-Term Cooperation with Service

Through this cooperation with the Zambian customer, we not only achieved a breakthrough in cable export business but also conveyed our cooperation philosophy—taking customer needs as the core, providing precise, efficient and compliant solutions, and helping customers solve practical problems with high-quality products and professional services to achieve win-win results for all parties.

The customer's recognition of us is concentrated in three aspects: first, the complete product certifications, which perfectly meet the project compliance requirements and help the project pass the approval smoothly; second, the precise solutions, each cable is suitable for the project scenario, effectively solving the pain points such as unstable power, high cost and complex environment; third, efficient delivery and professional services, fully cooperating with the project progress to ensure the project is connected to the grid on time. This recognition has also become the driving force for our team to continue to deepen the African PV cable market.

VIII. Cooperation Invitation: Win-Win Together, Jointly Expand the African PV New Market

The success of the Chisamba 100MW PV project in Zambia fully proves our product strength and service capabilities. We have fully certified PV cable products, rich experience in similar projects, efficient delivery capabilities and professional technical support, and can provide customized cable solutions for large-scale ground-mounted PV projects, mining area PV projects and other projects in various African countries (including Egypt), solving various problems in power transmission.

If you are promoting an African PV project and facing problems such as power transmission, cable selection and compliance approval, please feel free to contact us. We will tailor a solution for you, and help your project land and operate efficiently with high-quality products, efficient delivery and professional services.

Contact Information:

Tel/WhatsApp/WeChat: +86 135 1078 4550/+86 136 6257 9592

Email: manager01@greaterwire.com