Zambia Bets on the Sun and Massive Batteries. The 250 MW Leopards Hill Project Launches

Zambia has had enough of energy uncertainty dictated by river water levels. President Hakainde Hichilema has just given the green light to the Leopards Hill project—one of the country’s largest hybrid renewable energy undertakings. Located approximately 25 km southeast of Lusaka, the installation combines a 250 MWp photovoltaic farm with a powerful energy storage system rated at 150 MW / 600 MWh.

Sun instead of rain

Zambia is a country that relies on hydropower for more than 80% of its electricity generation. Every drought brings the economy to a standstill. Leopards Hill is an escape from this dependency. The USD 350 million project is designed to stabilize the grid when hydropower turbines slow down while solar generation remains strong. The investor has signed a grid connection agreement with ZESCO, the national power system operator.

Thanks to a four‑hour battery discharge cycle, electricity will be supplied to 150,000 households even after the sun sets over Lusaka.

The investment, developed by Globeleq (with British and Norwegian capital), signals that Zambia is becoming an increasingly important destination for private energy capital in the region. The company is building a broader portfolio of energy assets in the country, with access to the regional electricity market through the Southern African Power Pool. The government’s objective is highly ambitious: to reach 10,000 MW of installed capacity.

Grid stability and source diversification

The project’s local partner, Leopard Investment Company, is a firm with agricultural roots. The symbolism of this cooperation is striking—land that has fed the nation for generations will now power its industry in an entirely new way.

“As Zambians, we are proud to play a role in bringing a world‑class renewable energy project to our country. Having farmed this land for generations, we now have the privilege of harvesting energy from the sun, contributing to clean energy and supporting Zambia’s economic growth,” said Carl Irwin, Chairman of Leopard Investment Company.

Leopards Hill is not Zambia’s first project of this type, but it is by far the largest. Earlier developments include the Choma Solar Project (60 MW PV with 20 MWh of storage) and the hybrid system at the Ruida Mine microgrid (13 MWp with 39 MWh of storage).

Construction, which will employ up to 250 people at its peak, is expected to be fully financed by the end of 2026. For Africa, this is further evidence of an ongoing battery‑driven expansion. In just the past year, storage capacity on the continent has increased by more than 1,000%. The Globeleq investment follows this trend, offering a scale comparable to the largest installations in South Africa (the Kenhardt 1‑2‑3 complex with over 1,100 MWh of storage) or Egypt (the Abydos 1 BESS project providing 300 MWh alongside a photovoltaic installation).