By JAMES KUNDA? –

MAAMBA Collieries Limited (MCL) is sending 34 graduate engineers to India to improve the technical skills in the maintenance and operation of Coal Fired Thermal Power Plants (CFPP)’s.
MCL head of corporate affairs Janardhan Lavu said in a statement yesterday that the 40-day training in India would enhance the engineers’ practical competence and skills in power plant maintenance and operation.
Mr Lavu said the power division of MCL was constructing a 300 Mega Watts CFPP to add power to the national electricity grid and India already had existing facilities built based on similar technology.
“In order to enhance the technical skills of the recruited graduate engineers in maintenance and operation of Coal Fired Thermal Power Plants (CFPP), MCL is sending 34 graduate engineers to Nava Bharat Ventures Limited (NBVL) in India.
“This will enhance their practical competence and skills in power plant maintenance and operation,” he said.
He said as part of its resolve to create employment for the Zambian engineers, MCL had so far recruited 34 graduate engineers from local universities and colleges within the country in various engineering disciplines.
He said graduate engineers would be trained over a period of two years in thermal power plant maintenance and operation and more Zambian engineers would be recruited when the power plant was operational.
“The engineers are being mentored and trained in theory on power plant maintenance and operation by experienced expatriate engineers from India.
“An additional 36 graduate engineers will soon be recruited by MCL to bring the total number of graduate engineers to 70,” he said.
MCL is owned by Nava Bharat (Singapore) Pty (NBS) and Zambia Investment Holdings Limited (ZCCM-IH) with 65 per cent and 35 per cent shareholding, respectively.