Kanona Power Plans $100 Million Zambia–Tanzania Power Transmission Line
Zambian Energy Trader Kanona Power to Build $100 Million Zambia–Tanzania Electricity Interconnector
A Zambian energy trading company is planning to invest $100 million in the construction of a high-voltage power transmission line linking Zambia and Tanzania, marking the first direct electricity interconnection between the two countries.
The project aims to strengthen power supplies to Zambia’s copper mines as they seek more reliable and diversified energy sources.
Kanona Power Co. said the transmission line is expected to take approximately 12 months to build and could be completed ahead of a larger World Bank–financed regional transmission project, which is intended to form the final link in a power corridor stretching from Cape Town to Cairo.
Reliable electricity supply remains a critical challenge for Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, where mining operations are heavily dependent on consistent power availability.
The country relies predominantly on hydropower, and a severe drought in 2024 triggered the worst energy crisis in its history, impacts from which are still being felt.
Kanona Power said its project would complement, rather than compete with, a larger interconnector currently under development by the Zambian and Tanzanian governments.
“It will not only increase Zambia’s capacity to import power, but it will also create the necessary redundancy to further strengthen the grid and secure supply,” a company spokesperson said in response to emailed questions.
Interest in regional power interconnections has grown across Africa as countries look to balance electricity shortages by importing power from neighbours with surplus generation capacity.
In support of this strategy, the World Bank last year committed funding for a high-voltage transmission line linking Uganda and Tanzania.
Kanona’s planned line will connect Mwakibete in southwestern Tanzania to Nakonde, a border town in northeastern Zambia.
Founded in 2023, Kanona Power has rapidly emerged as a significant electricity trader in Zambia’s energy market.
By contrast, the larger competing interconnector—backed by $245 million in World Bank financing—has been in planning for more than a decade and is currently expected to begin operations around 2028.
