ZAMBIA - $100m. Israeli Solar-Wind Energy Project
A significant renewable energy project is underway in Zambia to establish a power station capable of generating 71 megawatts of electricity, which is a joint effort between Israel’s Gigawatt Global and Gigawatt Wind. The unique aspect of this project is that it aims to harness both solar and wind energy, with each contributing half of the total power output.
The $100 million investment in the power station was finalized during the visit of Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to Israel.
Gigawatt Global and Gigawatt Wind have already completed grid impact studies. Gigawatt Global president Yosef Abramowitz told The Jerusalem Post that the company will move on-site to start full project implementation. The station is being built in Chibombo, a district in the Central Province of Zambia, about two hours from the nation’s capital.
“Zambia gets a $100 million pioneering power plant, jobs, training and the prestige of being the first African country with a hybrid wind and solar station; Israel benefits from bilateral relations,” he said. “This will be the most significant private Israeli investment in the Zambian economy.”
Gigawatt Global built the first grid-connected solar project in East Africa, an 8.5-megawatt solar power plant in Rwanda. Earlier this year, it cut the ribbon on a similarly sized solar power project in Burundi.
-www.jpost.com, 6 August 2023
Arno's Commentary
Zambia, according to the CIA Factbook, has a population of over 20 million. Life expectancy is low: 66.8 years, and GDP per capita is only $3,200.
Interestingly, over 75% of the population is listed as Protestant Christian. Their cooperation with Israel is almost guaranteed to be a win-win. Without a reliable electricity supply, no country can develop to any great extent. Here again, Israel to the rescue.
Our responsibility: prayer for the Church in Zambia, so it may grow and add to the fullness of the Church from among the Gentiles.
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
