By Peter Kanjere, ESCOM PRO
Two new transformers were switched on at Kanengo Sub-station in Lilongwe on December 10 2023, as the Improvement of Lilongwe Sub-stations Project gathered momentum.
Bernard Nkhulawe, the project’s manager for ESCOM Limited, said the energizing of the two transformers signals that the work to upgrade Kanengo and Lilongwe Old stations was on track.
“We are connecting two transformers. There is transformer number 4. This one is 132kV to 66kV and it is rated 50MVA. We call it IBT number 4. This will be connected to the 66kV side of the transformer and after that, we are going to switch it on,” he said.
“We are also connecting another transformer 66kV to 11kV and it is also rated 25MVA. We are going to connect it and switch it on. Our plan is to load the transformers on 12th December 2023. After loading the transformers, we will take out another transformer and switch it off so that we should upgrade from 25 MVA to 50MVA.”
Nkhulawe said completion of the project will miss its deadline by two months due to logistical challenges.
“The project has progressed very well. We are now at 95 percent. Of course, we have missed the deadline by two percent according to the estimation. The main cause is that globally, there is a shortage of electronic accessories such as Scada panels,” he said.
The project involves upgrading Kanengo Sub-station from 85MW to 158MW thereby making it possible to accommodate 58,000 new connections. Old Town Substation will also be upgraded from 37.5MW to 50MW to accommodate 21,000 new customers.
ESCOM Limited is implementing the project courtesy of a 2.891 billion Yen (USD 19.053 million) grant from Japan International Cooperation Agency