Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 31 March 2026
Zimbabwe to install 500 MW floating solar plant on Kariba Dam to boost power supply
Exam-focused facts from the 31 March 2026 current affairs briefing.
Key facts
- Green Hybrid Power and the Intensive Energy User Group are designing a 500 MW floating solar plant at Kariba Dam.
- The Kariba transmission system was designed for 1,200 MW but has carried less than 400 MW for nearly two decades.
- The project includes aquaculture beneath the panels to revive Kariba’s fishing industry and create local jobs.
- Afreximbank is funding a US $4.4 million preparation facility for feasibility and bankability studies of the 250 MW first phase.
- The 1 GW hybrid floating PV project on Lake Kariba will pair solar-by-day with hydro-by-night using existing transmission lines.
- Zimbabwe currently has no operational floating solar plant and feasibility studies for the Kariba project have just begun.