Vedanta's Konkola Copper Mines plans a $317m, 300MW coal-fired power plant in southern Zambia, as President Hakainde Hichilema presses the company to accelerate investment to support copper growth.

Roy Mulenga·11 September 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Lobito Corridor could double cargo to 800,000 tonnes after $300m boost

Roy Mulenga·11 September 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Transnet's rail recovery lifts coal and iron-ore exports to three-year high

Roy Mulenga·10 September 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

CrossBoundary switches on solar and battery plant at Kamoa copper mine

CrossBoundary Energy's solar and battery storage facility for Kamoa Copper reached commercial operation, supplying 30MW of continuous renewable power to the DRC copper complex.

Roy Mulenga·31 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

US-backed Lobito deal between DRC and Angola targets week-long copper transit

The DRC and Angola have signed a new US-backed agreement on the Lobito Corridor, aiming to cut copper and cobalt transit times from roughly 30 days to a week or less as Washington competes with Chinese-backed routes.

Roy Mulenga·28 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Mota-Engil lines up $1bn US-backed concession for Congo copper railway

Mota-Engil is set to sign a 30-year concession to rehabilitate and operate the DRC section of the Lobito Corridor railway, backed by up to $1bn in US financing.

Roy Mulenga·27 August 2026

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Energy & Infrastructure

Sibanye-Stillwater's renewable power push passes 160MW as miners race to cut Eskom reliance

Sibanye-Stillwater now has about 164MW of contracted renewable capacity operating, part of 835MW of wind and solar deals meant to supply 64% of its South African energy needs by 2028.

Roy Mulenga·26 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Zambia and DRC sign new deal to cut Kasumbalesa truck queues

Zambia and the DRC have signed a bilateral agreement to streamline customs at Kasumbalesa and Mokambo, aiming to cut truck queue times that currently average 72 hours.

Roy Mulenga·26 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Grindrod lines up five growth projects to deepen southern African corridors

Grindrod has outlined five growth projects through 2028, including a 12-million-tonne Matola terminal expansion at Maputo and entry into South Africa's open-access rail network.

Roy Mulenga·25 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Kamoa-Kakula switches on Africa's first solar-and-battery baseload plant

CrossBoundary Energy's solar-and-battery facility at Kamoa-Kakula reached commercial operation in August 2026, supplying 30MW of firm renewable baseload power just 16 months after the deal was signed.

Roy Mulenga·25 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Tanzania expands Dar es Salaam port as DRC plans dedicated mineral dry port

Tanzania is building four new berths at Dar es Salaam after record cargo throughput, while the DRC has announced plans for a dedicated dry port there to clear its mineral exports.

Roy Mulenga·20 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Kobaloni targets Europe with Africa's first large-scale cobalt sulphate refinery

Kobaloni Energy is developing a 6,000-tonne-a-year cobalt sulphate refinery in Zambia aimed at European battery makers, positioning it as Africa's first large-scale plant of its kind.

Roy Mulenga·11 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Kariba water allocation raised to 36 billion cubic metres as lake levels recover

The Zambezi River Authority has raised its 2026 water allocation for Kariba hydropower generation to 36 billion cubic metres, up from 30 billion, as usable storage climbs to 48% from 23% a year earlier.

Roy Mulenga·1 August 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Namibia opens Walvis Bay-Karibib rail corridor for mining cargo

TransNamib and Kaleido Logistics have launched a rail corridor between Walvis Bay and Karibib designed to move 25,000 tonnes of mining and quarrying cargo a month, cutting truck traffic and emissions.

Roy Mulenga·31 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Nersa grants Manganese Metal Company a two-year Eskom discount

South Africa's energy regulator has approved a two-year discounted Eskom tariff for Manganese Metal Company, whose Mpumalanga plant relies on electricity for around 41% of production costs.

Roy Mulenga·30 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Kumba to build 63MW solar plant to power Sishen iron-ore mine

Kumba Iron Ore plans a 63MW on-site solar plant at its Sishen mine, developed by Envusa Energy, expected to start operating in the fourth quarter of 2027.

Roy Mulenga·23 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Durban's port gains mask persistent delays for chrome and ferrochrome exporters

Even as Durban wins praise as the world's most-improved port, chrome and ferrochrome exporters face vessel waits of up to four days and inland corridor delays that erase much of the gain.

Roy Mulenga·22 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Zimbabwe's first lithium rail shipment reaches Maputo via Beitbridge

Zimbabwe has railed its first 1,000-tonne shipment of lithium concentrate from Tsingshan's Gwanda mine to Maputo, using NRZ, Grindrod's BBR and Silvergill on a roughly 1,000km route.

Roy Mulenga·21 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

TAZARA revival breaks ground on Dar es Salaam control centre

Tanzania and Zambia have broken ground on a new training centre and operations control centre in Dar es Salaam, the first physical construction under TAZARA's $1.4bn revitalisation project.

Roy Mulenga·20 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Maamba Energy's 300MW expansion nears completion, doubling Zambia's biggest IPP

Maamba Energy's $450m Phase II expansion, adding 300MW of thermal capacity plus a 100MW solar plant, is targeted for completion around July 2026, doubling Zambia's largest independent power producer.

Roy Mulenga·15 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Lobito Corridor operator plans to double mineral cargo in 2026

Lobito Atlantic Railway is aiming to roughly double the tonnage of copper and cobalt it carries in 2026, as weekly train frequency rises toward a longer-term capacity target of 4.6 million tonnes a year.

Roy Mulenga·10 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Technical fault triggers nationwide blackout across Zimbabwe

A technical fault on ZESA Holdings' network caused a nationwide power outage in Zimbabwe on 6 July 2026, before engineers restored supply, underlining the fragility of the country's grid.

Roy Mulenga·6 July 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Swakop Uranium and NamWater launch second desalination plant for Husab mine

Swakop Uranium and NamWater have launched a joint venture to build Namibia's second desalination plant, a N$2.1bn facility supplying 20 million m3 a year to the Husab uranium mine and Erongo communities.

Roy Mulenga·24 June 2026·2 min read

Energy & Infrastructure

Zambia and Zimbabwe commit $440m to revive the Batoka Gorge hydro scheme

Zambia and Zimbabwe have each committed $220m in public equity to the long-delayed Batoka Gorge hydro scheme, a $4.2bn, 2,400MW project on the Zambezi, and held a market-sounding session in June 2026.

Roy Mulenga·17 June 2026·2 min read

Markets

Tracker

Gold$4,390.40/oz+0.55%
Platinum$1,802.20/oz+0.49%
Palladium$1,317.00/oz+0.47%
Rhodium$9,725.00/oz-1.02%
Copper$14,277/t+0.10%