Zambia Approves New Coal Power Plant as Drought Saps Hydropower

A visitor leans over the ridge of the Kariba dam in Kariba, Zambia. 

Photographer: Guillem Sartorio/AFP/Getty Images
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Zambia approved the construction of a third coal-fired power plant as it battles a power crisis caused by a record drought, which has stricken its hydro-electricity generation.

The 300-megawatt thermal power project was approved by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency last month, the regulator said in a statement on Wednesday.