Indian firm plans $1.8b power project in Zambia

Lusaka: India's ERA Group plans a major thermal power project in Zambia, with investment of $1.8 billion, to generate up to 1,200 megawatts of power in the long term, a senior company director said on Friday. ERA Group director Ajay Mishra also said the firm would soon start prospecting for coal in southern Zambia, which would be used to operate the thermal electric power station. "We are [going to be] investing about $1.8 billion in this [power] project. It is a very big project and we are going to need all the assistance we can get from government," Mishra said. ERA Group senior vice-president Sanjay Bhatia said the Indian firm, which is involved in power and other projects in India, would separately invest up to $50 million to grow rice and maize on 6,000 hectares of land in the southern African country, but gave no... [read full story]