Page 12 - AfrElec Week 13 2022
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AfrElec DISASTER AfrElec
Malawi electricity generator fails
to repair plant flooded in January
MALAWI MALAWI’S electricity distributor owes the Egenco officials told Nyasa Times that they
country’s generating company MWK57bn need MKW18bn to fix the destroyed power sta-
($70mn), hampering the latter’s bid to repair a tion and reduce the outages.
plant that was damaged by floods in January, a Apart from supply challenges caused by the
local paper reports. damage to Kapichira, Malawi often faces chal-
The Electricity Generation Company lenges with vandalism of its transformers, Minis-
(Egenco) is struggling to restore 129.6MW ter of Energy Ibrahim Matola told journalists on
Kapichira Power Plant on Shire River because March 15. Escom needed MKW2bn to replace
the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi the transformers.
(Escom) is defaulting, the Nyasa Times reported The Maravi Post reported on March 16 that
on March 26. a total of 250 transformers had been vandalised
Apart from Kapichira, Egenco runs three at a rate of five per week. That forced Escom to
other hydropower stations: Nkula, Tedzani and borrow 150 transformers from Malawi Rural
Wovwe. With Kapichira, which supplies more Electrification Programme.
than 86,000 homes, out of service, Malawi con- “This is leading to loss of revenue for Escom,
tinues to face prolonged power blackouts. the public and cropping of their service delivery
“The destruction of the Kapichira station to establishments such as health and education
meant that the country lost at least 30% of power facilities, businesses as well as households,”
from the national grid,” the paper said. Matola said, according to Nyasa Times.
Egenco operates thermal and solar power “Lack of power supply to hospitals is affect-
plants with a capacity amounting to 441.95MW. ing people on life support machines, water
Of that generation, according to the company, boards cannot supply water as required and
390.55MW is from hydropower plants while small businesses such as maize mill, cannot run
51.4MW is from thermal facilities. properly.”
P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 13 31•March•2022
