Power networks/Zambia
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| Zambia (ZM) | |
|---|---|
 .svg) | |
| References | |
| OpenStreetMap | 195271 195271 |
| Wikidata | Q953 |
| Wikipédia | Zambia Energy in Zambia |
| Country characteristics | |
| Continent | Africa |
| Population | 19,610,769 |
| Area | 752,618 km2 |
| GDP | 29.8 B$ |
| Language(s) | English |
| Electrical Network | |
| Generation capacity | 3,896 MW (OSM) |
| Power line length | 13,407 km (OSM) |
| Transmission lines voltages (kV) | 330,220,132,88,66 |
| Data from Wikidata (last update 2025-09-13) and OpenInfraMap (last update 2025-09-13) | |
This page has been created through the power networks country page model. See this model page for more information on how to complete it.
High-voltage Electrical Network
State of the map
in 2025-09:
Network description
Voltages and frequency
- 330 kV
- 220 kV
- 132 kv
source for voltages : Zambian Transmission Development plan from IRP [1]
Operator
| Operator | Network | Wikidata | Website | Wikipedia | Operating area | Information | Label | Taginfo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZESCO | {{{network}}} | Q8063035 WhatLinksHere |
https://www.zesco.co.zm | ZESCO | operator=ZESCOoperator:wikidata=Q8063035
|
operator=ZESCO | ||
| Copperbelt Energy Corperation | {{{network}}} | Q1131445 WhatLinksHere |
https://www.cec.com.zm/ | Copperbelt Energy Corperation | operator=CECoperator:wikidata=Q1131445
|
operator=CEC |
Interconnections
source for list of countries [2]
| Neighbour country | Structure name | Year of commissioning | Technology | Voltage | Local end | Foreign end | OSM circuit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | ||||||||
| Botswana | ||||||||
| Namibia | ||||||||
| Tanzania | ||||||||
| Malawi | ||||||||
| Democratic Republic of Congo |
Planned project
TODO
Data Sources
| Source | License | Date | Suitable for OSM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa Grid by EnergyData | ? | no | - | |
| https://energydata.info/dataset/zambia-overhead-mv-distribution-lines | CC0 | 2022 | yes | only contains distribution lines (voltages 11kV & 33kV). Not relevant for transmission lines mapping |
| https://energydata.info/dataset/zambia-base-case-grid-extensions | CC0 | 2022 | yes | not sure what to do with that |
| https://energydata.info/dataset/zambia---power-plants--2015- | CC0 (but contains OSM data) | 2015 | yes | mainly contains substations, but they already exist in OSM |
| https://energydata.info/dataset/zambia-electrical-transformers-and-substations-point | CC-BY | 2022 | no | - |
| https://energydata.info/dataset/zambia-electricity-transmission-network-2014 | CC-BY | 2022 | no | - |
| IRP | ? | 2023 | ? | Zambian Transmission Network Development Plan to 2050, with map of existing and planned substations & lines |
Other sources:
- power plants from ZESCO website
- substations from ZESCO website
Network statistics
Zambia has 34 power plants totalling 3,896 MW and 13,407 km of power lines mapped on OpenStreetMap (from OpenInfraMap, last update 2025-09-13)
Power line
| Power Lines Voltage | Length | Circuit or Line | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66kv | ||||
| 88kv | ||||
| 132kv | ||||
| 220kv | ||||
| 330kv | ||||
| Total | 12705 km | Unsure | https://www.moe.gov.zm/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/3.-IRP-Highlights.pdf | 2023 |
| Power Lines Voltage | Length |
|---|---|
| < 10 kV | 0 km |
| 10 kV - 25 kV | 8 km |
| 25 kV - 52 kV | 249 km |
| 52 kV - 132 kV | 4,831 km |
| 132 kV - 220 kV | 1,641 km |
| 220 kV - 330 kV | 632 km |
| 330 kV - 550 kV | 4,555 km |
| > 550 kV | 0 km |
| No voltage tagged | 1,488 km |
| Total | 13,407 km |
Electricity generation
Mapping process and community
Mapping success stories
Success stories are designed to highlight important contributions. Have you significantly improved the cartography of a country (added a new line, a power station, etc.)? Don't be shy, let us know below.
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: Added several substations in around the country, using a blend of satellite images and local knowledge as a citizen.
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: I was able to extend lines in north where the image quality was poor
- Mwiche & Francois [2025-11]: Added power circuit relations to many parts of the grid which enhances reability and usability of the transmission grid data.
Encountered problems and places to improve
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: The satellite images were not that good for most regions, so I had to combine all sources available. In particular, away from the developed provinces there was not much electrical infrastructure to map and the lines had towers and sometimes included poles.
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: Many urban towers are still missing and lines could not be connected to substation in urban areas.
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: The grid still has some line splits and routing issues that still needs to be fixed.
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: For some lines voltages are still missing.
- Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]: A lot of substations are missing meta data information
Use of mapping strategies
Mapping strategies refer to Power networks/Guidelines#Mapping strategies. They are used for a methodical improvement of the OSM database. Once you have fully applied a strategy in this country, you should add or update your name, the date, the strategy, and a comment below. This way, other users can see whether it is worthwhile to carry out further investigations.
- Search for "Unfinished major power lines" - last time applied by Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]
- Searching for power plant connection - last time applied by Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]
- Searching for substation connection - last time applied by Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]
- Searching for parallel lines - last time applied by Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]
- Identifying obvious gaps in the network topology from a national perspective - last time applied by Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]
- Identifying new substations and transmission lines - last time applied by Tobias & Mwiche [2025-03]