At the AVK Group, we take great pride in our longstanding heritage, especially through our Scottish subsidiary, Glenfield Valves. Glenfield has been manufacturing valves for hydropower applications since as early as 1900, with its first recorded project in South Africa dating back more than 120 years.
Continuing this tradition of excellence, in September 2022, we were invited to collaborate by WestGlen Consult (Scotland) and Scatec (Norway), acting as consultants to Lunsemfwa Hydro Power Company (LHPC) Zambia’s pioneering independent power producer on a new undertaking at the Mulungushi Power Station.
Situated near Kabwe in Zambia's Central Province, Mulungushi is the continent’s oldest operating hydropower facility. Officially commissioned in 1925, it is approaching its 100-year milestone. The current focus of the project is the dam serving as the primary reservoir for the station
The Mulungushi initiative involved an existing setup: a legacy needle valve functioning in a free discharge scenario, located at the terminus of a 130-meter-long tunnel through the dam, with a bore diameter of 1600mm. The client specified that an in-line arrangement was unsuitable. Instead, a fixed cone valve was deemed more appropriate to sustain—and potentially enhance—discharge levels, thereby optimizing flow range for the downstream Mulungushi Hydropower plant.
The project had specific requirements, including:
- Max operating pressure: 23m water column
- Minimum net head: 2.7m water column
- Design pressure: 60m water column
- Atmospheric discharge with hood
- Return flow into the natural river course
- Sleeve actuation via 24V DC electrical drive
- Position sensing output: 4–20mA
Our recent delivery of Fixed Cone Valves to both Marovanyati Dam (2 × DN900) and Lake Mutirikwi (2 × DN1100) hydropower stations in Zimbabwe—geographically near Zambia—served as strong regional case studies. Furthermore, our extensive installations of AVK valves in Zambia across multiple water supply projects bolstered our local credentials.
The newly specified valve is part of a comprehensive set of upgrades aimed at refining control capabilities and responsiveness at Mulungushi station. These improvements will enable adaptable output to meet fluctuating demand, including participation in peaking power markets. Lunsemfwa Hydro Power Company is actively expanding its renewable energy portfolio in Zambia, and this enhancement also positions them to regulate future solar PV input—marking the potential debut of a solar-hydro hybrid model in the nation.
Local support and global product reach
A pivotal factor in winning the order was our ability to dispatch a service engineer from AVK South Africa to oversee the installation of this critical DN1600 Fixed Cone Valve, manufactured by AVK’s Spanish facility, Orbinox.
As the project advanced to its execution stage, Orbinox introduced their project manager directly to the client, ensuring seamless handover from procurement to delivery and commissioning.
This milestone signals a renewed chapter in our enduring dedication to empowering hydropower development across Africa.
