The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited says it is making significant progress in strengthening and enhancing the resilience of power supply infrastructure in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts.
Speaking on Tuesday, 6 January 2025, during an interface meeting held at Chikwawa District Council, ESCOM Zone Engineer for Chikwawa and Nsanje, Mike Niwaru, said the Corporation is actively addressing recurrent electricity challenges affecting the two districts.
The meeting was attended by the Acting District Commissioner (DC) for Chikwawa, council directors, Members of Parliament for the area, and ESCOM officials.
Acting DC for Chikwawa, Dr Grace Momba, said the Council convened the meeting following persistent power outages that have disrupted service delivery in both Chikwawa and Nsanje districts.
Responding to the concerns, Niwaru explained that the frequency of faults had increased due to heavy rains, which posed safety risks for ESCOM teams during fault restoration.
Niwaru also cited poor road infrastructure as a major challenge in fault resolution, particularly in areas close to the Mozambique border.
“In some locations, bridges have been washed away. Our teams are sometimes forced to pass through the Mwanza Border, obtain immigration clearance, and use Mozambican roads to access the Malawian side where faults are located. As a result, faults that would normally be resolved within a short time end up taking much longer,” he explained.
Meanwhile, ESCOM Outreach Officer, Cosmas Kaunga, said the Corporation is implementing strategic power supply and storage projects to reduce load shedding and improve supply reliability nationwide.
“We are pleased to report that the Mozambique–Malawi Interconnector Project and the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project at Kanengo Substation in Lilongwe are nearing completion. Once commissioned, the projects will add 50MW to the national grid and enable storage of 20MW respectively, significantly cushioning customers from load shedding,” he said.
Member of Parliament for Chikwawa Central, Honourable Gerald Bede, commended ESCOM for engaging stakeholders and addressing the challenges affecting the district.
“As leaders driving the socio-economic development of Chikwawa, we appreciate the efforts ESCOM is making to ensure a reliable electricity supply. We will also explore ways to support the Chikwawa ESCOM office, including transportation and other initiatives, to help mitigate some of the operational challenges being faced,” he said.
Partipants take a group photo
