The Ndola Energy Company in Zambia has completed the installation of step-up transformers ready for the start of electricity generation in April 2013
The power generation project is part of the US$110mn Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) power project.
Ndola Energy project manager Anders Langhorn said the construction of the HFO power station, along with an oil pipeline, have now reached an advanced stage.
Langhorn explained that the company would start generating electricity which would then be connected to the national electricity grid via the Zesco Skyways sub-station and sold to Ndola-based electricity consumers.
Installations of an 11KV step-up transformer and a section of electricity generation units have now been completed.
Langhorn added that each of the six electricity generation engines have the capacity to produce 8.5MW of electricity which would be boosted by the power plant transformer, increasing the generation capacity to 50MW.
Once the plant is commissioned, it is expected to provide electricity to Ndola residents for the next 25 years.
Langhorn noted, “Although the plant has a life of 25 years, it can last for a much longer time if it is well maintained.”
A Zambian-owned company, Electrical Maintenance Limited, has been commissioned to install the air compressor, control room and other electrical equipment at the country’s first HFO power plant.
