Daybreak
Chiyaba Phase 144MWac
Chiyaba, Kafue District, Lusaka Province
10 MW / 20 MWh LFP battery (co-located, 2-hour)
10 MW / 20 MWh LFP battery (co-located, 2-hour)
Funder discussions
Zambian sun, engineered for the grid.
Mpishi Energy is developing utility-scale solar and battery storage in Zambia: the 100 MW Chiyaba site is in advanced development and in funder discussions, with a further 375 MW in the pipeline. Each project is being structured in its own ring-fenced project company, built to the standards lenders expect.
475 MWplatform across six project companies
100 MWin advanced development · Chiyaba site
10 MW2-hour battery (20 MWh) co-located, Phase 1
Implementation Agreement signed with GRZZEMA environmental authorisationZESCO grid connection agreementERB generation licenceFreehold land title25-year PPA heads of terms with a premium offtakerDedicated grid evacuation under the Implementation AgreementIFC Performance Standards alignedRing-fenced project SPVsBankability-grade financial modelStructured for Equator Principles reviewSAPP supplier & trader registration under wayImplementation Agreement signed with GRZZEMA environmental authorisationZESCO grid connection agreementERB generation licenceFreehold land title25-year PPA heads of terms with a premium offtakerDedicated grid evacuation under the Implementation AgreementIFC Performance Standards alignedRing-fenced project SPVsBankability-grade financial modelStructured for Equator Principles reviewSAPP supplier & trader registration under way
A developer, six project companies, one standard.
Mpishi Energy is the developer and sponsor. Every project sits in its own special-purpose vehicle with its own land, licences, contracts and accounts, so lenders can size against the asset in front of them, and equity can enter at the level that suits them.
100MWac
Advanced development
Daybreak (44 MW) and Zenith (56 MW) on the Chiyaba site. Implementation Agreement signed; ZEMA-approved ESIA, ZESCO grid connection agreement and ERB construction permit for Phase 1 in place. Phase 2 export follows a Mpishi-funded evacuation upgrade.
375MWac
In pipeline
Four sites across Southern, North-Western and Lusaka provinces, selected for grid headroom, offtake depth and irradiation.
Zambian founded and led
Lusaka-based, locally led, with three decades of project development and finance experience behind the platform.
25yrs
Long-term offtake
Heads of terms agreed for a 25-year USD-indexed PPA with a premium offtaker, the revenue line lenders size against.
Regional reach
Registration as a Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) supplier and trader is under way, opening regional offtake beyond Zambia.
Storage from day one
Co-located LFP batteries firm daytime output and shift energy into the evening peak, providing the capacity Zambia's hydro-heavy grid is short of.
The projects.
Six plants, named for the arc of a solar day, each a standalone company. Two are in advanced development and in discussion with funders; four are in the pipeline.
Zenith
Chiyaba Phase 256MWac
Chiyaba, Kafue District, Lusaka Province
20 MW / 40 MWh LFP battery (2-hour) · shared BESS control architecture
20 MW / 40 MWh LFP battery (2-hour) · shared BESS control architecture
Funder discussions
Horizon
Pipeline100MWac
Southern Province
Storage option under evaluation
Storage option under evaluation
Pipeline
Copperlight
Pipeline200MWac
North-Western Province
Battery storage (BESS) option, sized to the offtaker's load profile
Battery storage (BESS) option, sized to the offtaker's load profile
Pipeline
Meridian
Pipeline50MWac
Lusaka Province
4-hour storage under evaluation
4-hour storage under evaluation
Pipeline
Afterglow
Pipeline25MWac
Lusaka Province
Storage-led design · evening peak
Storage-led design · evening peak
Pipeline
Strong, reliable sun, close to the grid.
Across most of Zambia, each kilowatt of solar capacity produces more than 1,500 kWh a year, and about 1,823 kWh at our Chiyaba site (P50), with a long, clear dry season. Our sites sit inside that resource, close to the grid.
Long-term average of DNI (direct normal irradiation), 1994–2017
Daily
4.24.65.05.45.8
Yearly
1,5341,6801,8261,9722,118
kWh per m². World Bank Group / ESMAP Solar Resource Atlas of Zambia, prepared by Solargis (2019). World Bank colour scale.
Advanced developmentPipelineMarker size shows capacity
- Global horizontal irradiation, Chiyaba site
- 2,162kWh/m² a year
- Direct normal irradiation, Chiyaba site
- 2,073kWh/m² a year
- PV yield, Chiyaba site (P50)
- 1,823kWh/kWp a year
View as table
| Month | kWh/kWp/day |
|---|---|
| Jan | 4.32 |
| Feb | 4.57 |
| Mar | 4.97 |
| Apr | 5.08 |
| May | 5.14 |
| Jun | 4.93 |
| Jul | 5.03 |
| Aug | 5.48 |
| Sep | 5.54 |
| Oct | 5.46 |
| Nov | 4.86 |
| Dec | 4.52 |
In the southern African solar belt
Zambia lies on the northern reaches of the Kalahari Basin. While the arid core of the Kalahari Desert is centred further south in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the vast geological basin extends northward across western Zambia and into parts of Angola and Zimbabwe, placing the country within one of the strongest solar resource regions on the continent. Irradiation is highest in the west: around Mongu, direct normal irradiation exceeds 2,100 kWh/m² a year. Rain is concentrated in a single wet season, which leaves a long, clear dry season, with peak solar output as hydropower reservoirs draw down.
Grid context: ZESCO's distribution network spans about 23,700 km at 11 kV, 8,900 km at 33 kV and 3,800 km at 66 kV across every province. Chiyaba will connect to the ZESCO 88 kV network at Gota Gota substation through dedicated evacuation infrastructure funded by Mpishi Energy under the Implementation Agreement, with Phase 1 export matched to current substation capacity.
Solar data: Solargis, Solar Resource and PV Potential of Zambia: Solar Resource Atlas (World Bank / ESMAP, 2019) and Global Solar Atlas 2.x (World Bank Group, ESMAP, Solargis; long-term averages to 2025), CC BY 4.0. Chiyaba site figures: PVsyst P50 yield simulation by Soventix GmbH (October 2025) using Solargis weather data; DNI from Global Solar Atlas point data for the site. Original World Bank colour scale retained; basemap labels removed for clarity. Network lengths: ZESCO Limited.
How we develop.
We take projects through the full development cycle ourselves (land, grid, environment, offtake and structuring), so that what reaches a lender's desk has already answered the questions a credit committee asks.
Origination
Resource, grid and demand screening before any land is touched. Only sites that pass all three move forward.
- Bankable irradiation datasets
- Transmission headroom studies
- Offtaker credit screening
- Freehold or long-lease tenure
Permitting
Environmental and social assessment to IFC Performance Standards, alongside the Zambian regulatory sequence.
- ZEMA ESIA and authorisation
- ERB generation licence
- ZESCO grid connection agreement
- Implementation Agreement with GRZ
Structuring
Ring-fenced SPV, sculpted senior debt, reserve accounts and political-risk cover modelled before the first term sheet.
- Senior debt + equity, 70:30 target
- DSRA, MRA and IDC capitalisation
- MIGA / PRI cover priced in
- Carbon revenue stream structured
Delivery
We contract tier-one EPC and OEM partners on fixed-price, date-certain terms with liquidated damages that match the PPA.
- Tier-1 module and inverter supply
- LFP storage with performance guarantees
- Independent engineer oversight
- Owner's engineer through COD
Built to the standard lenders underwrite.
Our environmental and social management system is aligned to the IFC Performance Standards and structured for Equator Principles review, so development-finance institutions and commercial lenders can run their due diligence against a framework they already know.
PS1
E&S management
Project-level ESMS, risk register, monitoring plan and grievance mechanism in place from development.
PS2
Labour & working conditions
Local hiring targets, contractor codes of conduct and worker grievance channels written into EPC contracts.
PS3
Resource efficiency & pollution
Water-free module cleaning options, battery end-of-life plans and emissions-avoided accounting using the UNFCCC-approved grid emission factor for the Southern African Power Pool.
PS4
Community health & safety
Traffic, construction and electrical-safety management plans, with community liaison officers on site during construction.
PS5
Land & resettlement
Sites selected to avoid physical displacement; freehold acquisition with documented, willing-seller consent.
PS6
Biodiversity
Baseline ecological surveys inform layout. Chiyaba lies within the Chiawa Game Management Area; a DNPW site assessment found no threat to wildlife.
PS7
Indigenous peoples
Screening and, where triggered, informed consultation and participation, or free, prior and informed consent, documented in the ESIA.
PS8
Cultural heritage
Chance-find procedures and heritage surveys embedded in construction method statements.
Alignment is self-assessed against the 2012 IFC Performance Standards and verified by independent E&S consultants at lender due diligence. Mpishi Energy does not claim certification by IFC.
The institutions behind the process.
Utility-scale power in Zambia is built with government, regulators and long-term capital at the table. These are the institutions we work with through licensing, authorisation and investment.
Ministry of Energy, Government of the Republic of ZambiaImplementation Agreement counterparty
Energy Regulation BoardGeneration licence and construction permit
Zambia Environmental Management AgencyEnvironmental and social authorisation
Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW)Wildlife and biodiversity consultation
Zambia Development AgencyInvestment facilitation and incentives
National Pension Scheme AuthorityInstitutional investor engagement
GET.invest (EU-supported programme)Renewable investment mobilisation
Names and logos belong to their owners. Listing reflects our regulatory and investment engagement and does not imply endorsement.
The team.
A founder-led Zambian company with the finance, technical, communications and coordination leadership to take Chiyaba through financial close and construction, supported by specialist advisers.
Mpinga Mpishi
Founder & Managing DirectorLeads the company and its relationships with government, regulators, offtakers and communities. Responsible for strategy, project delivery and the Board.
Dalitso Phiri
Founder & Growth OfficerLeads investment, partnerships and capital raising across the platform. Background in renewable energy project development and finance, with governance, risk and information-security credentials.
Leadership
Ruth Banda
Finance DirectorLeads financial close, lender reporting, treasury and audit across the project companies.
Teza Matoba
Technical DirectorLeads engineering, grid connection and EPC oversight, taking Chiyaba through construction and commissioning.
Byung-Hun Park
Communications DirectorLeads investor, stakeholder and public communications, and the company's brand and disclosures.
Nafisa De Lost
Project CoordinatorCoordinates schedules, documentation and workstreams across permitting, finance and delivery.
Thomas Magaya
Logistics ManagerManages equipment import, customs clearance and site logistics.
Project Development Director
Appointment in progressLeads site origination, feasibility, permitting and land, taking projects from concept to financial close.
Operations Director
Appointment in progressConstruction oversight, O&M contracting and plant performance.
Advisory team
Francis Doherty
Carbon Strategy AdvisorAdvises on carbon revenue, crediting pathways and climate-finance structuring.
Brent Pearson
Finance and Investment AnalystSupports financial modelling, investor analysis and transaction preparation.
Lorenzo Butelli
Sustainability and Optimisation ExpertAdvises on ESG performance, plant optimisation and sustainability reporting.
Zambia's grid runs on water. Our job is to give it a second source that peaks when the reservoirs are lowest.Mpishi Energy, on why solar and storage, and why now
Two projects at the table. Room for the right partners.
Senior lenders, DFIs, institutional equity and strategic co-developers: the Project Information Memorandum, financial model and document room are available under NDA.