Malawi: ESCOM Signs Grid Connection Deals For 125 MW Of Thermal And Solar Power

Malawi’s Electricity Supply Corporation (ESCOM) has signed transmission connection agreements with AZA Power Solutions and Quantel Renewable Energy for projects expected to add a combined 125 megawatts to the national grid.

The agreements, signed in Blantyre, cover a 75 MW multifuel thermal power plant and a 50 MW solar project aimed at improving electricity supply and diversifying the country’s generation mix.

The AZA project, being developed by UR Energy and Wärtsilä, will connect to the grid through a 132-kilovolt connection at ESCOM’s existing 132/33 kV Nanjoka substation in Salima.

The project is expected to increase Malawi’s baseload generation capacity by 17% and reduce unserved energy — electricity demand that cannot be met — by about 60%.

ESCOM Chief Executive William Kaipa said the additional capacity would help address the generation deficit contributing to load shedding and power outages.

“The project will provide dependable baseload power while diversifying Malawi’s energy mix and reducing vulnerability to droughts and low water levels that affect hydropower generation,” he said.

AZA Power Solutions Managing Director Abel Manumbu said the plant would strengthen baseload supply and reduce outages for households and businesses.

“We are not just building a power plant. We are building opportunities,” he said, pledging that AZA would be a dependable partner to ESCOM.

The second agreement covers Quantel Renewable Energy’s 50 MWac photovoltaic plant, which will connect to the grid at the New Bwengu substation in Mzimba District.

Quantel’s partners include Sri Lanka’s Vidullanka PLC and Denmark’s Frontier Energy.

Kaipa said the solar project would help ease electricity supply challenges in the Northern Region and reduce reliance on hydropower.

The plant would supply electricity closer to local demand centres, easing pressure on long-distance transmission lines, he said.

Quantel Chief Executive Patridge Shycal described the agreement as a milestone in moving the project towards delivery.

“Today is a defining milestone for the Quantel Project,” he said. “We are moving from development to actual delivery.”