What is the cost of drilling a borehole in Zambia?

The cost of drilling a borehole in South Africa is ZMW240-ZMW1,000 per meter. The cost of drilling a borehole depends on a couple of factors, including the mode of drilling, among others, as we will show you. We will take you through this and all the factors that affect the cost of drilling in Zambia to help you understand how you will budget for a borehole drilling project.
To drill a borehole in Zambia, you need a borehole drilling machine. We will take you through two types of borehole drilling machines in Zambia. We will let you know the features of each type of borehole drilling machine so that you can decide which will suit your drilling project. It all comes back to how much you have budgeted for when choosing which drilling machine to use.

Aside from the cost of hiring labor, there are other costs that anyone who intends to drill a borehole in Zambia should know about. Below is a breakdown of the costs of drilling a borehole in South Africa.

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Cost Of Drilling A Borehole In Zambia Per Meter

Cost Of Drilling A Borehole	Cost
50 Meters	ZMW12,000-ZMW50,000
100 Meters	ZMW25,000-ZMW100,000
250 Meters	ZMW100,000-ZMW300,000
500 Meters	ZMW150,000-ZMW500,000

A Breakdown Of The Cost Of Drilling A Borehole In Zambia

1. Legal Drilling Fee

The legal fee for drilling a borehole in Zambia for commercial use is ZMW4 per 100,000 liters of water. The Zambian legal authorities have set a drilling fee for drilling a borehole for commercial purposes. Drilling a borehole for domestic use is, therefore, not taxed by the government. Even though this is the case, you should take the initiative to inform the local authorities before drilling a borehole, especially if the borehole is more profound than 100 meters. This will help you know whether the ground stability is okay because not all grounds can handle a borehole drill, especially heavy-duty drilling machines.

2. Diesel Cost

The cost of diesel in Zambia is ZMW27-ZMW29 per liter. Drilling machines can only run using diesel fuel. The cost of diesel for drilling a borehole in Zambia varies depending on the following factors:

• The country’s economy: When facing an economic crisis, fuel prices are always the first to go up.
• Type of borehole drilling machine: Different drilling machines use different engines. The diesel consumption rate differs; some drilling machines use more diesel than others.
• Borehole depth: The deeper the borehole, the more diesel is consumed. Depending on the engine, some drilling machines will use more fuel than others.
• The ground level of hardness: Drilling a borehole on hard ground with rocks, for example, will consume more diesel than drilling a borehole in clay ground.

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3. Electricity cost for drilling a borehole in Zambia

The cost of electricity in Zambia is 8 cents per Kwh. An electric borehole drilling machine consumes an average of 30-50 Watts per hour. The amount of electricity used by an electric borehole drilling machine varies depending on the following factors:

• Size of a drilling machine: The bigger the drilling machine, the bigger the engine. As a result, more giant electric borehole drilling machines use more electricity than smaller ones.
• Depth of the borehole: Deep boreholes will take longer to drill, and during this time, the electric borehole drilling machine will be running, thus consuming a lot of electricity.
• The ground level of hardness: A hard ground will take more time to drill. Therefore, more electricity will be used.

Types Of Drilling Machines In Zambia

There are two types of drilling machines in Zambia, namely:

• Electrical-powered drilling machines.
• Diesel-powered drilling machines

Borehole drilling machines are categorized according to how they are powered. Below is a detailed explanation of how each type of drilling machine works, its cost, and how its performance affects its cost.

Cost Of Borehole Drilling Machines In Zambia

1. Electrical-Powered Borehole Drilling Machine

The cost of electrical-powered borehole drilling machines is ZMW60,000-ZMW5,000,000. Electrical-powered borehole drilling machines are powered by connecting their chord to a source of electricity. Electrical-powered drilling machines are characterized by their high use of energy. They need a lot of energy to run, so they cannot be powered by diesel fuel.

They are handy for drilling boreholes in areas with complex grounds, for example, locations with many rocks on the ground. They are bigger and stronger than most diesel-powered borehole drilling machines. On the downside, however, using an electric-powered borehole drilling machine is very costly. A lot of electricity is consumed when it’s running. Below are the types of electrical drilling machines.

A) Vehicle-Mounted Borehole Drilling Machine

The cost of a vehicle-mounted borehole drilling machine in Zambia is ZMW60,000-ZMW5,000,000. The drilling machine is heavy. Therefore, it can only be mounted on heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and trailers or pick-ups but heavy-duty pick-ups. There must be a close electrical source for this machine to work. Its chord is mounted here so that it can start running.

B) Electric Crawler Borehole Drilling Machine

The cost of electric hydraulic borehole drilling machines in Zambia is ZMW70,000-ZMW150,000. These are portable electric-powered borehole drilling machines. They have wheels installed so they can be moved from one point to another. They run after being connected to the electricity. They favor light uses like drilling boreholes in areas with soft grounds. They are easily transported and do not use as much electrical power as vehicle-mounted borehole drilling machines.

2. Diesel-Powered Drilling Machine

The cost of diesel-powered drilling machines in Zambia is ZMW30,000-ZMW300,000. The engine of the diesel-powered borehole drilling machine has a tank that is the storage for diesel. The bigger the diesel-powered borehole drilling machine, the bigger the diesel storage tank. A big tank for diesel storage means more extended hours of machine operation. Even though diesel-powered borehole drains do not perform heavy drilling jobs, their most significant advantage is their portability. Unlike electrical-powered borehole drilling machines, a diesel-powered drilling machine can work effectively in areas without electricity.

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Factors That Affect The Cost Of Drilling A Borehole In Zambia

1. Location Of Residence

The location you want to drill a borehole in Zambia affects the cost of drilling in the following ways:

• The cost difference from one location to another: Drilling a borehole in Zambia is more expensive in rural areas because all the companies that provide this service are in the city.
• Location’s ground level of hardness: Drilling a borehole on hard ground is more expensive than on soft grounds.
• Availability of diesel: Locations that do not have fuel stations in Zambia cost more to drill a borehole because to get the fuel, one must incur transportation costs

2. Type Of Drilling Machine

When drilling a borehole in Zambia, you can use either an electric-powered borehole drilling machine or a diesel-powered electric machine. The amount of money used to drill a borehole using an electric drilling machine is not the same as when using a diesel-powered borehole drilling machine. The choice of what type of borehole drilling machine to use depends on the following:

• Which one will be most effective for the ground’s level of hardness?
• Which one is readily available in the area code?

3. Purpose For Drilling Borehole

Drilling a borehole in Zambia for domestic use is more affordable than commercial. The government requires that everyone in Zambia drilling a borehole for commercial purposes pay a fee of ZMW4 per 100,000 liters of water on average. There are also other costs that a commercial borehole will incur for the business to start running and more costs for it to continue running legally.

4. The Size Of Borehole

The deeper the borehole, the more the cost of drilling it in Zambia. There is also a variation in the ground level of hardness. Two boreholes of the same depth but with different ground hardness levels will have different costs. The borehole drilled on the hard ground will cost more because a lot of labor, energy is consumed, and electricity or diesel to drill the borehole on the hard ground.

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