LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO) says it is facing ongoing power generation challenges as three of its machines at Kapichira, Tedzani I, and Tedzani II respectively are faulty.
Tedzani Unit 5 is currently out of service due to a faulty generator, while Kapichira Unit 3 is offline because of a faulty transformer.
EGENCO Chief Executive Officer, Maxon Chitawo, made the remarks at the Central Office of Information (COI) in Lilongwe on Thursday during a joint press briefing with the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) on the country’s power supply situation.
Chitawo explained that technicians are working to have the machine at Tedzani II fixed over the weekend.
“We could not immediately fix the machine as it shares a tunnel with other machines. This requires that we de-water the tunnel. As such, we will do it over the weekend when demand is lower,” he said.
He assured the public that power generation and supply to the national grid will be normalised soon, noting that work on the other two machines is also in progress.
ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, Kamkwamba Kumwenda, said his organisation has put in place measures to manage the power deficit.
He cited grouping customers by feeders and conducting load shedding on a rotational basis as some of the measures being implemented.
“Customers are switched off and on using a first out, first in approach. We provide the load shedding schedule in advance so that customers can plan accordingly,” he said.
Kumwenda expressed concern that despite growing demand, no new power supply has been added between September 2024 and August 2025.
He explained that the available 350-megawatt (MW) capacity is insufficient to meet the rising demand.
“In addition, 101MW from solar and 14MW from thermal are not available throughout the day. As a result, load shedding is expected to continue during peak hours,” said Kumwenda.
Concluding Analysis
EGENCO’s current generation challenges underscore the urgent need for investment in power infrastructure and diversification of energy sources in Malawi.
While ongoing repairs and rotational load shedding offer temporary relief, the persistent shortfall highlights structural gaps in energy supply and growing national demand.
Unless new generation capacity is added and maintenance protocols strengthened, Malawians may continue to face power interruptions, affecting households, businesses, and national development efforts.