A 500 kWp Solar + 1.2 MWh BESS rural electrification demonstration project near Lusaka, anchored by Big Grass Investments' industrial pellet production facility — proving a scalable, self-sustaining model for rural industrial electrification across Zambia.
The Kampamba Energy mini-grid is a proof-of-concept demonstration project for a new model of rural electrification in Zambia — one that is commercially self-sustaining from Day 1, anchored by industrial demand rather than relying on subsidy.
Only 4.4% of rural Zambia has access to electricity. Extending the national grid is capital-intensive ($1,500+ per connection) and takes 2–5 years. Decentralised solar mini-grids offer a faster, cheaper path — but only if revenue certainty is established from the outset.
The Anchor-Business-Community (ABC) model solves this. By securing Big Grass Investments as an industrial anchor tenant committing to 50% of total generation on a take-and-pay basis, the mini-grid achieves commercial viability from Day 1 — allowing the cross-subsidisation of affordable tariffs for rural households, schools, clinics and local SMEs.
This proposal was submitted to the Zambia Regional Electricity Authority in December 2025, seeking partnership for permitting, tariff approval, and interconnection standards — along with viability gap funding or connection support to accelerate deployment.
While urban electrification sits around 67%, rural areas face a critical infrastructure deficit, limiting productivity and quality of life.
Rural households spend a disproportionate share of income on charcoal and diesel — a poverty trap that affordable clean energy directly breaks.
Extending the national grid to remote areas costs $1,500+ per connection. Decentralised solar mini-grids are the essential alternative at 10× lower cost and lead time.
The commercial viability of the entire community grid rests on one insight: an industrial anchor tenant with a predictable daytime load maximises solar utilisation and guarantees revenue — de-risking the investment and cross-subsidising community access.
Industrial pellet production from agricultural waste — maize stalks, elephant grass, cotton stalks
Remaining 50% of generation shared across commercial and residential consumers
Economic viability and sustainability come from clearly separated roles, each entity focused on what it does best.
Design, finance, install and operate solar power with battery storage. Already active in large-scale utility-size (+50MWp) project generation — applying proven expertise at mini-grid scale.
Converts agricultural waste (maize stalks, elephant grass, cotton stalks, sawdust) into high-density fuel and feed pellets — a clean, cost-effective charcoal replacement for Lusaka's gasifier stoves. Already active in Chongwe, requiring new production sites.
A new Zambian SPV working with the Rural Electrification Authority to install and manage the local distribution grid. Purchases power wholesale from Dukinfield and sells to Big Grass, local commercial entities and the village — locally owned and managed.
The site is located at the end of Leopards Hill Road in Chongwe District — approximately 45 km east of Lusaka City Centre. The location is a proof-of-concept site chosen for its proximity to Big Grass Investments' existing Chongwe operations. The national grid ends approximately 10 km from the site, making it a true off-grid community and a representative demonstration case for the many rural areas across Zambia that lie beyond the reach of grid extension.
| Location | End of Leopards Hill Road, Chongwe District |
| Distance from Lusaka | ~45 km east of Lusaka City Centre |
| Current Grid Status | No grid connection — national grid ends approximately 10 km from site |
| Land Secured | 3 hectares for Solar PV + Industrial Hub |
| Land Tenure | 99-year lease |
| Project Phase | Demonstration / Proof of Concept |
| Roll-out Potential | Scalable model for replication across Zambia |
The system is engineered for reliability and economic sustainability, balancing the industrial anchor's daytime base load with community evening peak demand through intelligent storage and distribution.
High-efficiency PV modules providing clean daytime power. Big Grass' steady 8AM–5PM operational load maximises direct solar utilisation, reducing storage requirements and lowering the LCOE for the entire community.
Lithium Iron Phosphate battery (BESS) shifts excess daytime solar generation to meet evening peak demand from households and SMEs — providing reliable 24-hour supply without diesel backup.
An 18km medium and low-voltage network with prepaid smart metering enables tiered tariff structures, remote consumption monitoring, fault detection, and phased expansion as community demand grows.
50% take-and-pay commitment from Big Grass covers debt service and operating costs from commercial operations date — without subsidy dependency
Industrial load perfectly aligned with peak solar generation reduces storage needs, improves system economics and lowers LCOE for all consumers
Anchor revenue creates a buffer that allows affordable residential tariffs — making electricity accessible to households regardless of income level
Income earned through rural industrialisation — wages from SME and pellet production jobs, plus biomass feedstock sales by smallholder farmers — directly increases household disposable income, growing the paying customer base for the grid as the community economy develops
Big Grass Investments' circular economy model amplifies the ESG impact of the Kampamba mini-grid far beyond electricity access alone.
Big Grass fuel pellets reduce reliance on wood charcoal in Lusaka's gasifier stoves — directly slowing deforestation rates around the city. Agricultural waste replaces wood as the energy feedstock.
Pellet gasifier stoves emit significantly less particulate matter and carbon monoxide than traditional charcoal braziers — reducing indoor air pollution that causes an estimated 11,000 Zambian deaths per year.
Maize stalks, cotton stalks and elephant grass that smallholder farmers would otherwise burn in fields now generate income as pellet feedstock — monetising agricultural waste and reducing field burning emissions.
Over 200 direct local jobs created across pellet production, grid operations, agriculture, and SME productive use — with a pathway for Kampamba Energy to expand the industrial base as the grid grows.
The project creates a virtuous cycle: rural industrialisation and biomass supply income flow directly back into the community as increased household disposable income — which in turn drives uptake of electricity connections, SME productive use and grid expansion. The more the local economy grows around the anchor hub, the larger and more resilient the mini-grid's customer base becomes. This is the key insight that makes the model genuinely self-sustaining rather than subsidy-dependent.
The Kampamba mini-grid is explicitly designed as a demonstration project — a replicable template for rural electrification across Zambia's remaining unelectrified communities. Big Grass Investments is already active in Chongwe and requires new production sites, providing an immediate pipeline of anchor tenants for subsequent mini-grids.
Each replication can be deployed in 12–18 months once the anchor tenant and REA partnership are in place, using the same Dukinfield Energy platform, the same Kampamba Energy distribution model, and the same ESG framework developed for this first site.
Dukinfield Energy acts as the development, engineering and finance lead for each new mini-grid site — applying the institutional knowledge, REA relationships and technical expertise developed on the Kampamba demonstration to accelerate roll-out across the region.