--- title: Reliable power in Zambia despite load-shedding date: 2026-04-23T10:45:00+02:00 author: Vincent Weijermars canonical_url: "https://www.bredenoord.com/en/cases/power-reliability-in-zambia-despite-load-shedding/" section: Case --- ![Reliable power in Zambia](https://d214mxx6i7ojph.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJicmVkZW5vb3JkLXByb2QtYnVja2V0Iiwia2V5IjoiaW1hZ2VzL2NvbnRlbnQvUmVsaWFibGUtcG93ZXItaW4tWmFtYmlhLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InBuZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo4MiwicHJvZ3Jlc3NpdmUiOnRydWV9LCJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjQyMCwiaGVpZ2h0IjoxNzYsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIiwicG9zaXRpb24iOiJsZWZ0IGJvdHRvbSJ9fX0=) The Zambian company Tombwe is a tobacco processor. The leaves of the tobacco plant are delivered to them after the harvest, after which they cut, process, store and ultimately deliver them to end customers, who mainly use them to make cigarettes. These end customers made a demand of the company: a reliable emergency power supply. As the company’s management is Dutch, the lines of communication with Apeldoorn were short. “This customer had previously purchased something from us,” explains Arthur van der Kamp, account manager at Bredenoord. “We hadn’t carried out the installation ourselves, but as a result, the company was already in contact with us. So when they needed to look for an emergency power supply at the end of 2023, they approached us again.” Based on past experience, Tombwe chose this time to have Bredenoord handle the entire process. Not just the sale of the generator, but also the delivery, the test run and the final inspection. “They wanted the system to be delivered fully operational. So I went there with a colleague and we carried out all these tasks together, and we also let the customer run the unit so that he could familiarise himself with it in advance.” ![Reliable power in Zambia2](https://d214mxx6i7ojph.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJicmVkZW5vb3JkLXByb2QtYnVja2V0Iiwia2V5IjoiaW1hZ2VzL2NvbnRlbnQvUmVsaWFibGUtcG93ZXItaW4tWmFtYmlhMi5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJwbmciOnsicXVhbGl0eSI6ODIsInByb2dyZXNzaXZlIjp0cnVlfSwicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo0MjAsImhlaWdodCI6Mjg4LCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=) ## A second backup power supply During that conversation, the importance of a reliable backup power supply became clear once again. Zambia relies on hydroelectric power stations for its electricity supply. During periods of drought, this results in power shortages. This is resolved through load shedding, which means that users are only connected to the grid for part of the day. In this way, supply and demand are balanced and the availability of power is at least predictable. For businesses, it is obviously undesirable for production to come to a standstill for part of the day due to a lack of power. At Tombwe, the emergency generator was therefore running almost daily. “In fact, it was no longer an emergency power supply, but an essential part of the main power supply,” explains Van der Kamp. “The forecast was that this situation would continue for some time, so the customer asked if we might have another generator for them, which this time would actually serve as an emergency power generator. We had another identical machine, which we supplied under the same terms. We carried out the commissioning and ensured that both generators were properly and, above all, safely synchronised, to prevent both generators from running simultaneously.” ## The ideal partnership Van der Kamp looks back on this partnership with satisfaction. “In terms of timing, everything fell into place perfectly. The cost was considerable, but it soon became clear that the investments were very well timed. We acted swiftly in response to the uncertain situation on the power grid, and in doing so, we take all the worry off the customer’s hands. That is what makes us the most logical partner for them. Whenever the customer asks for something, we ensure it is sorted out quickly and efficiently. People can also always come to us if there are any problems. We’re willing to think creatively in such situations. At one point, a fault was detected in one of the generators and we had to supply spare parts urgently. The owner then came up with a rather unusual idea. His son was studying in Eindhoven and could pop over to Apeldoorn to collect the parts, after which he would fly to Zambia with them the following day. We arranged that for him. This flexibility, our willingness to think along with them and the aftercare are greatly appreciated.” For us, it's also wonderful to see. Bredenoord is known in the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark as a supplier of energy solutions, but we also frequently deliver far beyond these regions. You'll find Bredenoord's solutions all over the world. Share this case - [ Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.bredenoord.com/en/cases/power-reliability-in-zambia-despite-load-shedding/) - [ LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.bredenoord.com/en/cases/power-reliability-in-zambia-despite-load-shedding/) - [ E-mail ](mailto:?Subject=Reliable%20power%20in%20Zambia%20despite%20load-shedding&Body=https://www.bredenoord.com/en/cases/power-reliability-in-zambia-despite-load-shedding/) Questions about this project? 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