Malawi was hit by a nationwide power blackout on Wednesday evening after the country’s electricity utility reported a system shutdown, disrupting electricity supplies across the country.
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) said the shutdown occurred at 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and that its technical teams were working to establish the cause.
“We have experienced a system shutdown,” ESCOM said in a notice to customers, adding that it would inform the nation once the facts had been established.
The utility did not immediately give a timeframe for restoration of electricity or specify what had triggered the shutdown.
ESCOM is responsible for procuring, transmitting and distributing electricity in Malawi.
The blackout comes as Malawi’s electricity system faces continuing pressure from supply constraints and infrastructure challenges.
ESCOM has previously implemented scheduled load-shedding programmes to manage shortages in electricity supply.
The disruption threatens to affect households, businesses and public services reliant on the national grid, although the extent of the impact was not immediately clear.
ESCOM urged customers to await further information while its technical teams investigated the incident.
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