Energy transition gets boost in Katete, as 350MW wind power project approved by ZEMA

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has approved the proposed 350-megawatt Unika I and II Wind Energy Facility in Katete District, Eastern Province.

The approval was made by the Environmental Assessment Committee of the sixth ZEMA Board at its ordinary sitting held on September 24, 2026, according to a press statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday.

ZEMA Manager Corporate Affairs, Ruth Kanyanga Kamwi, said the project would contribute to Zambia’s energy transition once operational.

Kamwi said the facility would generate clean, renewable energy and help diversify the country’s energy mix away from hydropower.

“The facility will be developed by Mphepo Power Limited in Chief M’bangombe’s Chiefdom, Katete District, and will consist of 42 wind turbines, an on-site substation, and associated 330 kilovolts overhead transmission lines and infrastructure to evacuate power to the national grid,” she said.

Kamwi disclosed that the Chewa people, under the leadership of Paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi, own a 10% stake in Mphepo Power Limited through the Chewa Development Trust.

She said the project exemplified how environmental stewardship and traditional leadership could work together to advance Zambia’s green economy.

“The Committee examined 113 projects in six sectors during the same sitting, approving 100 projects comprising 25 in energy, 43 in Mining and Mineral Processing, 14 in Manufacturing and Processing, 11 in Infrastructure Development, 4 in Agriculture and Forestry, and 3 in Tourism, while five projects were deferred and eight were rejected,” Kamwi stated.

On compliance, Kamwi said ZEMA remained committed to ensuring that all approved projects adhered to the requirements outlined in the decision letters issued to developers.

She said the agency would closely monitor compliance in accordance with the Environmental Management Act.

Kamwi said the approval of the Unika wind project was expected to boost renewable energy generation and support Zambia’s efforts to diversify its energy sources amid growing demand for clean power.

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