By Chrissy Nkumba
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi government has partnered with Egyptian energy company Elsewedy to boost the energy sector in it’s quest to reach 1300 megawatts electricity capacity to the national grid.
This is expected by 2025 from the current grid of less than 400 megawatts.
The partnership comes following an agreement which Energy Minister Ibrahim Matola has signed with the Egyptian power generating company Ahmad Elsewedy to supply 50 megawatts of electricity to the national grid .
In an interview with The Maravi Post, Matola said that Malawians need more sustainable energy to drive its economy.
He added that Solar plants of 50 Megawatts which Elsewedy wants to invest will be planted in the Northern part of the country.
“President Lazarus Chakwera made a promise to the nation in the August House that he will want to see 1000 Megawatts being added to the national grid.
“We have a big gap on our national grid because we have been depending on hydro power plants constructed along Shire River,” says Matola.
He added, “This has been very unreliable as firstly the generation capacity does not meet the national demand in addition to the fact that generation machinery is subjected to damage in events of adverse weather.
“Remember, what happened on January 24 and January 25 this year when flooding waters caused by Cyclone Anna washed and damaged machinery thereby losing 130 megawatts from the national grid and EGENCO needs over MK23 billion to fix the problem”.
Ahmad Elsewedy has assured Malawians that by end of 2023 his company will add 50 megawatts translating to a total generation capacity of 100 megawatts to be added to the national grid by his company.
President Lazarus Chakwera met Ahmad Elsewedy in Durban while attending an exhibition where they discussed on the possibility of the company coming to Malawi to invest in electricity generation.
Elsewedy is now in the country following that discussion with President Chakwera.