TRANSMISSION LINE KAFUE-LIVINGSTONE

The project consists of upgrading the existing 220 kV high voltage transmission line Kafue-Muzuma-Livingstone to 330 kV voltage, with extensions to the corresponding high voltage substations. The transmission line corridor and towers remain the same. The upgrade approximately doubles the transmission capacity, and removes several bottlenecks of power transmission inside Zambia and regionally within the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) market.

The purpose of the project is to reinforce and upgrade the power transfer capability of the main transmission lines in Zambia to increase the reliability and quality of domestic power transmission service and to facilitate regional power trade between Zambia and Namibia and other Southern African Power Pool members. The project forms a part of the new SAPP north-south connection (through Caprivi link) that bypasses the heavily overloaded and unreliable network section of Zimbabwe.

If implemented within EU, the project would fall under Annex II of EIA Directive, leaving it to the competent environmental authority to decide the need of the EIA. The financiers’ environmental and social safeguards are considered to require an ESIA, and this work is under implementation. The upgrade of the line is expected to have only small environmental impacts. The Resettlement Action Plan is being drafted, and the necessary safeguards for the affected people are expected to be in place (to be reviewed during appraisal).

The procurement of the section to be financed by the Bank will be carried out in line with the requirements of the Bank’s Guide to Procurement. The other contracts will also be tendered internationally, in line with the rules of the other lenders involved.