MULWANI SECONDAY SCHOOL

GEOGRAPHY PROJECT.

THEME: INCREASE IN THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY

VERSUS INCREASE IN THE POPULATION - ZAMBIA
NAME: FRIDAH MONDE
GEOGRAPHY TEACHER:
EXAM NUMBER:
CENTRE NUMBER:
 Table of content

1. Introduction
2. Aim of project
3. Specific objectives
4. Methodology
5. Data presentation
6. Interpretation and analysis
7. Problems and limitations
8. Findings
9. Conclusion
10. Recommendations
11. References and biography
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Without much ado, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the following for their
unwavering support and dedication in ensuring the successful completion of my research.

First and foremost, I am indebted to God for giving me strength and foresight during the
research period. My parents and siblings for being there for me. My friends and relatives, hats
off, too.
Secondly, I appreciate my Geography teacher, Mr Simabisi for the encouragement and
support.

Dedication

I dedicate this project to my parents for their support during the time I was doing my
research.
1. Introduction
This study is aimed at finding out if there exists a correlation between the increase in the
production of Electricity and the accessibility of it by the population in Zambia.

In order to ease the livelihood of the citizenry, access to electricity is vital. As the population
is increasing, exponentially, accessibility and affordability of electricity by the citizens is
quite emphasized so that the life of people is made easier.

Accessibility in this study is how easy or hard it is for the poorest of the poor to be connected
to the national grid.

Affordability means how cheap or expensive it is for the nationals to be connected to power.

2. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to find out the following:
 Is there a correlation between the increase in the production of power (electricity) and
the increase in the population?
 Is it easy to be connected to power?
 Is it affordable by the poorest of the poor apart from the wealthy or rich people?

Background Location
The production of power or electricity in Zambia is under a company called ZESCO. ZESCO
is wholly owned by the Government of the republic of Zambia; which owns 100%
shareholding in the Institution.
ZESCO runs two (2) major power stations namely Kafue Gorge Power Station (KGPS) and
the Kariba North Bank Power Station (KNBPS)
 1. Kafue Gorge Power Station (KGPS)
The Kafue Gorge Power Station is located in Kafue. It was built in 1972 and is able to
produce 990 mega Watts of Electricity. KGPS is the biggest power station in Zambia
2. Kariba North Power Stations.
Kariba North Power Station is located in Siavonga District. Its generation Capacity is 600
Mega Watts. It is the second biggest power station in Zambia

It also has small hydro Power Stations dotted around the country namely
3. Itezhi Tezi Hydro Power Station: This power station is located in Itezhi Tezi District.
Currently, it is able to produce 330 Mega Watts of electricity which is fed into the main
national electricity grid
4. Lunzua Hydro Power Station: Lunzua Power Station is based in Mbala District, in the
Northern part of Zambia. Its generation capacity is 72 Mega Watts.
5. Lusiwasi Lower and Upper Power Station. This power station is located in Serenje which is
in the Central Province of Zambia. It produces 12 Mega Watts at full capacity
6. Musonda Falls Hydro Power Station: Musonda Falls Power Station is located in Mwense
District, Luapula Province. Its generation Capacity is 5 Mega Watts.
7. Chishimba Falls Hydro Power Station. This is a small power station with generation capacity
of 6 Mega Watts
8. Livingstone Power Station: the generation capacity is 108 Mega Watts
9. Kariba North Extension Power Station. As the name suggests, this is an extension to the
already existing Kariba North Power Station. Its generation capacity is 360 Mega Watts

It should be noted that there are other Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in Zambia. These
produce power and sell to ZESCO.
The following are the IPPs
1. Lusemfwa Hydro: This is an Independent power station in that it is not owned by either
ZESCO or Gorvenment. It sells power to ZESCO once it generates it. Its capacity is 24 Mega
Watts
2. Mamba Collieries Thermal (Coal): this is a new thermal mine. It uses Coal to produce
Electricity. Its generation Capacity is 300 Mega Watts
3. Ndola HFO. This power station is based in Ndola. It uses Hydro Fossil (Fuel) to produce
electricity which eventually it sells to ZESCO
4. Nakambala Biomass. Nakambala Sugar Company produces power for its own consumption at
40 Mega Watts. This is produced using Biomass.

2.1 AIM OF THE PROJECT

The study was conducted with the aim of finding out the correlation between the increase in
electricity production against its accessibility and affordability with the rise in the population.
3.0 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives of this study are to:
 Does the increase in electricity production correlate with the increase in the number of
people being connected to the national grid?
 Accessibility: How easily accessible is electricity?
 Affordability: How affordable is electricity to the common man? First time
connection and having electricity 24/7

4.0 METHODOLOGY
The methods used in collecting data include the following:
 Questionnaires ( abstract attached)
Two type of questionnaires were distributed to ZESCO Limited (Appendix 1) and the
other to Central Statistics Office (Appendix 11)

 Interviews
These were carried out to also collect information necessary for this research. These
were done to ascertain accessibility and affordability of power. A random sample was
done in low, medium and high density townships of Kabulonga and Sunningdale,
Chilenje and Libala, and Kalingalinga and Mutendere, respectively.

 Internet
The use of internet to obtain information quickly cannot be overlooked. I used to the
internet to get information on the Power Stations, their capacities and also to confirm
the locations. The growth in the Zambian Population index and other information

 Note-taking
This method of data collection is vital. This was used when conducting interviews. It
is more accurate and information is collected instantaneously.

5.0 DATA PRESENTATION

The table below shows summary of the number of power stations in the Country and their generation
capacities. These are hydro power plants.
No NAME OF POWER LOCATION PRODUCTION CAPACITY (MW HRS)
STATION
1 Kafue Gorge Power Kafue 990
Station
2 Kariba North Bank PS Siavonga 600
3 Itezhi Tezi Power Station Itezhi Tezi 120
4 Lunzua Mbala 14.8
5 Lusiwasi Serenje 12
6 Musonda Falls Mwense 5
7 Chishimba Falls Kasama 6
8 Victoria Falls Livingstone 108

9 Shiwangandu Shiwangandu 1
10 Kariba North Extension Siavonga 360

The table below shows the IPP in Zambia

No NAME OF POWER LOCATION PRODUCTION CAPACITY (MW
STATION HRS)
Mamba Collieries Mamba 300
Ndola HFO Ndola 105
Lusemfwa Kabwe 24
Nakambala (Biomass) Mazabuka 40
Power Stations under Construction
Kabompo Hydro PS Kabompo 40 Mw
Kafue Gorge Lower Kafue 750Mw
Batoka Gorge Batoka Gorge 1,200 Mw

ZAMBIA`S POPULATION INCREASE ANALYSIS

The analysis of Zambia`s population is compiled from 1955 to 2024.
The current population of Zambia is 17.955 Million as estimated by the United Nations as of today 6
September 2019.
The population density is 24 per KM². The total land area is 743,390 Km². it should also be noted
that 44.8 percent of the population is urban.
| **Year** | **Population** |
|----------|----------------|
| 1955 | 2,677,209 |
| 1960 | 3,119,430 |
| 1965 | 3,658,024 |
| 1970 | 4,281,671 |
| 1975 | 4,931,249 |
| 1980 | 5,720,438 |
| 1985 | 6,686,449 |
| 1990 | 7,686,401 |
| 1995 | 8,684,135 |
| 2000 | 9,891,136 |
| 2005 | 11,564,870 |
| 2010 | 13,792,086 |
| 2015 | 16,248,230 |
| 2020 | 18,927,715 |
| 2024 | 21,134,695 ¹
 6.0 INTERPRETATION AND ANAYSIS

7.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT

7.1 THE PROBLEM

Electricity is a vital component of our lives in the twenty first century. It eases trade and
livelihood at both macro and micro level. Macro, for industries and other commercial
use. At Micro, for household usage.

Without electricity, it is very difficult to do certain things. For example, a house in the
urban areas, say Kabulonga in Lusaka, life comes to a standstill. They can’t use charcoal
or firewood as life revolves around electricity. Therefore, with the growing population in
the country, and the increase in the generation capacity of electricity, is it accessible and
affordable to all?

7.2 PROBLEM DEFINITION

My research will explore in the following areas of interest and these are:
 If there exists a relationship between an increase in electricity generation with the
increase in population
 If electricity is accessible
 If electricity is affordable

8.0 FINDINGS
The increase in the population as evidenced on page …….. of about 3.3% annually does not correlate
with the increase in the number of people who get connected to the national grid. It was found out
that only less than 10% of Zambia`s population is connected which is now standing at Seventeen
Million (17 Million). The average Population growth rate stands at 4 percent per annum.
In terms of households or number of houses connected as of 1st July, 2019, it stood at One Million (1
Million). Zambia has about Ten Million houses. The number of houses connected is only 10 percent
as at 1 July, 2019.
Is the current economic position in Zambia allowing the general populace to have access to power?
NO. Why? The cost of being connected is exorbitant such that a common man cannot have access to
electricity. For a standard connection, depending on the area, the cost of being connected ranges
from K800 to K2,700. A standard connection is where the township is gazetted and has roads. In a
Non-gazetted township, where the majority power people are, the cost of being connected is so high.
It can even reach K10,000. Imagine, this is an area where the majority poor people live.
 9.0 PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS
The finder faced some problems during the study which include:
 Distance
Regarding the location of power stations; it was difficult to travel to different locations to
collect information. For example, the power stations located in the Northern part of Zambia. I
had to rely on the information from ZESCO head Office. Physical visitation of the sites was
not possible due to time and non- availability of resources.

 Resources
It is very important that resources have to be made available when undertaking such projects
for easy movement and collection of data. For instance, a visitation to the Small Hydro Power
Stations dotted around the country was vital i.e. Lusiwasi Hydro Power Station, Musonda
Falls and Chishimba Falls.
 Time
In order to obtain accurate information, time is equally of importance. There is need of a lot
of ample time to carry out this kind of research. Most preferably, 3 months to 6 months can
suffice.
Note that, time was also required to give out questionnaires and to let the people complete
them at their own pace. As a result, this hinged on sample size and questions asked. The
problem I encounted was that most of the questionnaires were either not answered or half
way answered.

10. CONCLUSION
It is quite evident that the increase in the generation of electricity cannot be matched with the
increase in the population in the country. It takes years and years to build power stations
compared to the annual growth of 4 percent of the population. This therefore means that, if
there is no matching increase or correlation between the growth of power generation and the
population; affordability and accessibility of power will never be in the reach of ordinary
citizens.

11.0 RECOMMENDATION
I recommend the following should be put in place to ensure that there is access to power and
affordability to it by the general public:
  Allow more participants in the energy sector so that there are more investors in this
sector
 The government should subsidize the connection cost to affordable levels by the
general population
 Allow competition in the energy sector
 There should be an energy mix. This is where solar, biomass, hydro, nuclear and
thermal energy productions are allowed

APPENDIX 1
QUESTIONNAIRE TO ZESCO LIMITED

DEPARTMENT:…………………………………………
1. How many customers does ZESCO have? ……………………………….
2. How many power stations are in the country? …………………………….
3. What is the current energy mix in Zambia? (briefly explain) ……………..
4. How much power is produced in Zambia by ZESCO? .............................
5. Is the power produced sufficient for the country? ………………………..
6. How much are the connection fees for new customers in Urban Areas? …………………
7. How much are the connection fees in high density areas? ………………
8. What is the Annual increase in power generation, as a percent? ……………………….

Thank You!!!!!!

Please sign: ………………………………….

Date: ………………………………………….
APPENDIX 1
QUESTIONNAIRE TO CENTRAL STATISTICS OFFICE
DEPARTMENT: ……………………………………..
1. What is the current population of Zambia? …………………………….
2. What is the annual growth rate? ………………………………………..
3. Where do we find the most populated area: Urban or Rural? ……….
4. What is Zambia`s population density per square Kilometer? ………..
5. When was the official census carried out? …………………………….

Thank you!!!!

Please sign: ………………………

Date: ………………………………

12.0 REFERENCES AND BIBIOGRAPHY

1. WWW.ZESCO.CO.ZM
2. WWW.CENTRALSTATISTICSOFFICE.CO.ZM
3. Worldpopulationreview.com/country/Zambia

 Zambia’s Energy Regulation Board (ERB). (2020). Annual Report. This report provides
insights into the regulatory framework, energy policies, and performance of the energy sector in
Zambia.

 World Bank Group. (2018). Zambia - Electricity Access Project. This project focuses on
improving electricity access in rural and peri-urban areas of Zambia through infrastructure
development and capacity building.

 ZESCO Limited. (n.d.). Zambia’s National Power Utility. ZESCO is responsible for electricity
generation, transmission, and distribution in Zambia. Their official website contains valuable
information on power projects, tariffs, and operational updates.

 African Development Bank (AfDB). (2019). Zambia Country Strategy Paper 2019-2023. The
AfDB’s strategy outlines key areas for supporting sustainable energy development in Zambia,
including power generation, transmission, and renewable energy project