Pan-African renewable energy developer Axian Energy has secured a key power purchase agreement (PPA) with Africa GreenCo, a leading energy aggregator and trader, for Zambia’s 240MW Kudu solar PV project, marking a major milestone for the large-scale solar development as it advances toward financial closure and full construction.
Backed by Africa’s Standard Bank and its Zambian subsidiary Stanbic Bank Zambia, the offtake deal lays a solid foundation for the delivery of the Kudu solar plant. The project reinforces Axian Energy’s expanding footprint in Zambia’s renewable energy market, which the firm first entered last year by acquiring an 85.6% stake in the 54.3MWp Bangweulu Solar project. Situated in the Kafue District of southern Lusaka Province, Bangweulu Solar holds the distinction of being Zambia’s first utility-scale solar PV facility to achieve commercial operations, originally developed by French independent power producer Neoen.
Committed to advancing clean energy across the continent, Axian Energy has set an ambitious target to build 2GW of installed renewable energy capacity throughout Africa by 2030. Ana Hajduka, Founder and Group CEO of Africa GreenCo, highlighted the project’s broader industry significance amid Africa’s evolving energy landscape. “Africa’s borderless power market is already being built, by the companies trading across it today.
The Energy Forum for Africa (EFFA) Conference asked what a borderless energy future looks like. We signed one,” Hajduka stated, underscoring the partnership’s role in shaping cross-border renewable energy trade.
The landmark Kudu Solar PPA comes amid a remarkable surge in Zambia’s solar PV development throughout 2026, with the country far exceeding its previous renewable installation benchmarks. With three months remaining in the year, Zambia has already surpassed the 139MW of solar PV capacity installed nationwide in 2025, a year that saw the country rank among eight African nations that added over 100MW of solar PV capacity, according to data from the Global Solar Council.
Zambia’s solar sector expansion spans multiple large-scale projects and government-backed initiatives. Notably, international power producer Globeleq is developing the country’s largest hybrid solar-storage project to date, integrating 250MW of solar PV generation with a 150MW/600MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
Local and international energy firms have also delivered key operational milestones recently: Indian energy firm Nava commissioned a 100MW solar plant in the past month, while Zambian power provider Copperbelt Energy Corporation launched the 136MW Itimpi Phase II solar facility earlier this year, which features PV inverters supplied by Chinese renewable tech provider Sungrow.
Complementing private-sector development, the Zambian government is scaling up distributed solar capacity via a national constituency solar programme, having signed contracts with five contractor consortia to roll out a total of 312MW of small-scale solar installations across the country.
Collectively, the pipeline of new solar projects solidifies Zambia’s position as a fast-growing hub for renewable energy in Southern Africa, driving domestic power diversification and regional clean energy integration.
