By Jones Gadama
Malawi is set to start tapping 50 Megawatts of power from Mozambique through the Malawi-Mozambique Power Interconnection Project by September this year.
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) confirmed this development during a recent visit by officials from Mozambique’s electricity utility and the Southern African Power Pool to the Phombeya Substation in Balaka.
According to Escom’s System and Market Operations manager, Mike Mkayenda, works at the Phombeya and Matambo Substations in Mozambique’s Tete Province are 70 percent complete.
The project involves the construction of a 218-kilometer, 400-kilovolt high-voltage power transmission line to feed 50MW into Malawi’s national grid.
The Malawi-Mozambique Power Interconnection Project aims to interconnect the electricity transmission systems of Malawi and Mozambique, enabling bilateral and regional power trade within the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP).
The project is expected to boost Malawi’s energy capacity, supporting economic growth and development.
The total estimated cost of the project is $88 million, secured through a loan from the International Development Association (IDA), a grant from IDA, government counterpart funding, and a grant from Norway’s donor trust fund.
The project status is currently 70% complete, with conductor wires being strung on towers along the transmission line.
The project will enable Malawi to access additional power from Mozambique, addressing the country’s energy needs and promoting economic development.
The interconnection will also facilitate Malawi’s participation in regional power trading within the SAPP.
Mkayenda said Escom is currently stringing conductor wires on the towers along the power interconnector transmission line.
With works at Phombeya and Matambo Substations nearing completion, the project is on track to meet its September deadline.
The Malawi-Mozambique Power Interconnection Project is a significant step towards enhancing the country’s energy infrastructure.
By tapping into Mozambique’s power resources, Malawi can address its energy challenges and support economic growth and development.
Malawi’s installed power capacity currently stands at 554.24MW, with 101MW coming from solar sources.
The interconnector project involves constructing a power transmission line in Malawi and a power substation in Mozambique, connecting it to an existing substation.
In 2019, Escom and Mozambique’s electricity utility, EDM, signed key agreements for the project, including a project implementation agreement, system operating agreement, and power purchase agreement.
The World Bank approved the project in September 2019, and the Malawi Parliament passed a loan authorization bill in October 2019.
Interestingly, the initial agreements for the project were signed during the presidency of Peter Mutharika, who laid the groundwork for this significant energy initiative.
It appears that the current administration may not be fully aware of the project’s background and history, as they seem to be taking credit for an initiative that was already in motion.
