Zambia's Largest Solar-Plus-Storage Project Breaks Ground

London-based independent power producer Globeleq has officially broken ground on the Leopards Hill Solar and Battery Project, Zambia's largest hybrid renewable energy development to date. Situated at Kyindu Ranch in the Chongwe District of Lusaka Province — roughly 25 km southeast of the capital — the project combines a 250 MW solar photovoltaic plant with a 150 MW/600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), giving it a four-hour discharge capacity designed to address peak demand and grid stability challenges.

Alongside the construction launch, Globeleq signed a grid connection agreement with ZESCO, Zambia's national utility, underscoring the project's integration into the country's broader power infrastructure. The project is being co-developed with Leopard Investment Company, a Zambian agricultural business that owns the Leopards Hill substation — a partnership that blends local land stewardship with international energy expertise.

Globeleq is owned by British International Investment (the UK's development finance institution) and Norwegian fund Norfund. The company opened its Lusaka office in 2025 and is building a substantial portfolio in Zambia, including a 51% stake in the Lunsemfwa Hydro Power Company — providing access to the Southern African Power Pool — and the 56 MW Kafue Solar project, nearing financial close under the GET FiT Zambia program.

The Leopards Hill project is expected to create 200–250 jobs at peak construction and additional permanent roles once operational. Financial close is targeted for end of 2026. For context, Zambia currently has around 912.4 MW of operational solar capacity across 142 projects (AFSIA data), and the country's largest operational project to date is ZESCO's 100 MW Chisamba solar farm, completed in May 2025.