The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has rolled out the Malawi Electricity Access Project (MEAP), which seeks to connect 180,00 customers in the next two years, thereby increasing electricity access in the country.
The transmission line will start from Matambo in Mozambique and cross into Malawi through Mwanza and Neno up to Phombeya power sub-station in Balaka. Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday at Mutarara in Tete Province, Mozambique, Ankii Kumar Sharma, resident site manager-Mozambique for Larsen and Toubro Limited, the Indian contractor on the project, assured that they will finish the ESCOM officially launched the World Bank-funded MEAP at a colourful ceremony held at Bingu International Conventional Centre in Lilongwe on Friday December 23 2022. Speaking during the launch of the project, ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, Kamkwamba Kumwenda, hailed the World Bank for financing the project to the tune of $65 million. He said ESCOM was determined to clear the backlog of all electricity connections courtesy of the project.
“This aims at bringing the Malawi on-grid electricity access rate to around 30% by 2030, from 12% as at the start of the project in 2020,” he said. “The project also aims at increasing off-grid electricity access to 20% by 2030, thereby bringing the total electricity access rate for the country to 50% by 2030. The off-grid electricity access component of the project is being implemented by the Ministry of Energy.”
In an earlier brief presentation about MEAP, ESCOM Chief Operations Officer, Mr Maxwell Mulimakwenda, said the project should have started in 2020 but it was delayed by logistical challenges brought about by Covid-19 and others. “The main objective of the project is to increase access to electricity in Malawi because access to electricity is currently very low,” Mulimakwenda said.
“The project addresses some of the deliverables in the Government’s Connections Guideline such as incentivizing the low-income households through soft loan facility for connection, and provision of ready boards for low-cost installations,” said Matola, who was the guest of honour.
“Let me reiterate that ESCOM would want to continue to “walk the talk” with the project branded “Project Sesa”! We will continue to put in place enabling and sustainable policies and frameworks to build a modern, resilient, and dynamic infrastructure. We envisage that more customers must be connected to the grid as we strive to bring power to every customer on the electricity grid.”
Traditional Authority Tsabango took his turn to show appreciation for the roll out of the project, including in his Area 43 in Lilongwe. “Let us all take responsibility in protecting Escom assets from vandalism, let us also protect the environment,” Tsabango said. The project has on the grid component, off the grid component and technical support component which the Ministry of Energy will undertake. Phase one of the project will see