ELECTRICITY SUPPLY CORPORATION OF MALAWI LIMITED (ESCOM)

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Parliamentary committee happy with MEAP progress

The Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change is optimistic that the Malawi Electricity Access Project (MEAP) will help the government meet its target of increasing the country’s electricity access to 50 percent by 2030.

The committee’s Chairperson, Werani Chilenga, made the remarks on Saturday after visiting households that have benefitted from MEAP which the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited is implementing.

Chilenga, who is also Chitipa-South Member of Parliament, expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress while also acknowledging resource challenges ESCOM is facing.

The tour sought to understand the current status of the project and the challenges faced in meeting connection targets.

According to ESCOM’s Chief Operations Officer, Maxwell Mulimakwenda, the project has successfully connected 85,125 customers, with an additional 94,875 connections still to be fulfilled.

However, Mulimakwenda noted that the project is facing shortages of key materials, which has temporarily halted new connections.

“It is anticipated that these connections will resume by the end of November 2024,” he said.

“To expedite the process, ESCOM is implementing a fast-tracked delivery arrangement with suppliers for single-phase meters. This strategy aims to expedite the delivery of 10,000 meters by November 2024, allowing for a quicker rollout than initially planned. The full delivery of all meters was originally scheduled for January 2025,” he said.

Mulimakwenda said ESCOM is also making strides in procuring poles necessary for the project, with deliveries expected to commence by the end of October 2024.

“The company is also negotiating with suppliers for fast-tracked delivery of stay rod assemblies, crucial for line extensions, with the first batch projected for delivery at the end of November, coinciding with the arrival of the meters,” he said.

Mulimakwenda said the project is in the final stages of awarding contracts and is conducting due diligence on recommended contractors to expedite connections further.

“These measures are crucial in overcoming current obstacles and ensuring that more communities gain access to reliable electricity,” he said.

MEAP seeks to give electricity access to 180,000 on-grid households and 200,000 Off-Grid households by the end of June 2025, translating to an additional 1.9 million people having access to electricity.

These additional households will bring the total access rate in Malawi to around 28% by June 2025.

 

A visit at ESCOM Warehouse

 

Chilenga_We need 50% electricity access by 2030
Mulimakwenda_the project encountered some challenges

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