From Capital to Construction: Can Itimpi II Become a Model for African Energy Investment?

How does an energy project move from financing to infrastructure at the pace industrialisation demands?

Hosted by Energy News Network (ENN) in partnership with The Electricity Hub, Let’s Talk Energy speaks with Vincent Nyirenda, Chief Projects Officer at Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), in an episode recorded at the Africa Energy Forum 2026 in Cape Town.

At the centre of the conversation is Zambia’s 136MW Itimpi II Solar PV Plant and the financing model behind its development.

Vincent discusses how CEC established a US$200 million green bond programme, supported by Zambia’s financial and regulatory ecosystem and investment from local banks and pension funds. The financing demonstrates how domestic capital can support major energy infrastructure without relying on traditional sovereign guarantees.

The conversation goes beyond Itimpi II to examine Zambia’s transition from a predominantly hydropower-based system towards a more diversified energy mix, the growing role of battery storage, and why reliable and affordable electricity will be critical to mining, beneficiation and wider industrial growth.

It is also a timely conversation ahead of the Zimbabwe-Zambia Energy Projects Summit (Zim-Zam) 2026, where CEC joins as Country Host and Itimpi II features among the Summit’s investment highlights.

Taking place from 3–5 November 2026 in Livingstone, Zambia, Zim-Zam will examine how financing, partnerships and project delivery are translating regional ambition into infrastructure, including the agenda discussion “From Signature to Breaking Ground – How Financing Mechanisms are Keeping up with the Pace of Industrialisation.”