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Kanona Power Company has called for strengthened regional power interconnectors to improve electricity reliability and support mining sector productivity, saying deeper cross-border cooperation was becoming essential for economic competitiveness.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 13th Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC) in Kitwe on Thursday, Kanona Power Company Account Manager, Bodrick Mwansa, said the company’s trading and aggregation model “connects generation to demand, producers to consumers, and policy to practice.”
“Our business model allows us to support mining companies’ growth and development by making reliable power available for their operations,” he told reporters.
Mwansa said several of Kanona’s major mining clients — among Zambia’s largest copper producers — had increased productivity because of improved and sustained power supply facilitated through Kanona.
Regional Integration as a Competitiveness Strategy
He said regional electricity integration was no longer simply an energy policy aspiration but “a core economic competitiveness strategy.”
“Kanona’s experience over the past several years offers a practical case study on how regional collaboration through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) is paying dividends in addressing the power deficit in Zambia and beyond,” he said.
During recent nationwide supply shortages, Mwansa said Kanona structured cross-border power imports that helped stabilise electricity for key industrial users.
He noted that this was possible because regulatory frameworks allowed participation in regional trading platforms and utilities were willing to collaborate.
He said strengthening cross-border transmission lines — including the Tanzania–Zambia interconnector linking Tanzaniaand Zambia — would help accelerate electricity offtake needed for mining companies aiming to ramp up production.
“We are confident that Zambia will reach that three-million-tonne copper target by end-2031 as more electricity is fed into the national grid,” he said.
Renewables Integrated Into Mining Supply Chains
Mwansa said renewable energy now played a central role in Zambia’s evolving energy mix.
“For us, it is not only a response to the drought that affected hydro generation, but a long-term strategy for improving supply security and cost stability for our customers,” he said.
As an energy aggregator and power trader, Kanona combines various supply sources — including regional imports and renewables such as solar — to provide stable electricity to large mining and industrial clients.
With mining companies under pressure to meet Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets, Mwansa said they were demanding cleaner energy without sacrificing operational stability.
“Our model allows them to integrate renewable energy into their supply mix without compromising reliability,” he said.
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