Zambia is expected to bring a major electricity transmission project linking the country to Tanzania and Kenya into operation by the second quarter of 2029. The Zambian government said the Zambia-Tanzania Electricity Interconnector Project will be capable of transmitting 500 MW of electricity, helping to strengthen the country's power supply security, according to the official press agency (Zanis press release, 06/11/2026).
First agreed in 2014, the project entails the construction of a 2,300 km transmission line connecting Zambia with Tanzania and Kenya, at an estimated cost of USD 1.2bn. In October 2026, China's Sinotech Consortium was awarded contracts for the first phase, covering 186 km between the Pensulo substation and Mpika, and the second section, spanning 200 km from Mpika to the Kasama substation in northern Zambia, the minister said. "The full scope of the Zambia-Tanzania interconnector project will be undertaken in 24 months and is therefore scheduled to be commissioned by the second quarter of 2029," the minister said (Reuters, 05/11/2026).
The government is also in discussions with the private sector over the potential construction of a second transmission line between Zambia and Tanzania, which would increase transfer capacity to 1,000 MW, according to national media (Lusaka Times, 05/11/2026).
The minister further highlighted that the interconnector is one of several transmission infrastructure projects being developed by the government to reinforce regional electricity links. Other planned interconnections involve Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe and Botswana.