Page 70 - 41st Summit Brochure
P. 70

A New Era in
       68   A New Era in Power Generation

            The establishment of the Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited (EGENCO) has  seen  improved  power  generation  in
            The establishment of the Electricity Generation C ompan y (Mala wi) Limit ed (E GENC O ) has  seen  impro v ed  po wer  generation  in
            Malawi,  which  experts  believe, will  spur economic and social development of the country.
            For over a year now electricity generation and supply in Malawi has tremendously improved with Industries and households having
            power 24hrs every day. This is despite the threat of Covid 19 pandemic which has disrupted business across the globe. This is also in
            sharp contrast to previous years when power would go off for over 24hrs thereby suffocating industrial growth and social service
            delivery.

            The improvement in power generation and supply has been attributed to among other factors improved water management (since
            91% of the power is from hydro); dredging and  expansion  of  silted  station  ponds; machine  rehabilitation,  modernization  and
            uprating of some of the aged power plants. Commissioning of new power plants such as the Tedzani IV; installation of peaking diesel
            generators;  and  overall  improvement  in  machine  maintenance  and  maximum  and  efficient  resources  utilization.  For  a  longtime,
            electricity generation and supply has been cited as one of the bottlenecks to doing business in Malawi. With the improved electricity
            generation and supply, it is believed that this will ease the cost of doing business in Malawi and provides an opportunity for investors
            to come in the country and invest.
            EGENCO developed and launched a 15-year Strategic Plan a year after its establishment. The 15 year (2018-2033), EGENCO’s Strategic
            Plan, which seeks to increase the country’s installed  capacity  from  367.3  megawatts  in  2017  to  1,631  megawatts  by  2033,  is
            providing strategic direction for company’s power increase drive. So far, there has been commendable progress towards realizing this
            goal with installed capacity moving from 367.3MW inn 2017 to now 442MW in 2021. It is envisaged that when we complete the
            350MW Mpatamanga hydropower project and the 300MW Kamwamba Coal plant will tremendously increase the country’s power
            generation capacity.

            In his address at the inauguration ceremony of the new Power Station of Tedzani IV, Malawi  President  Dr.  Lazarus  Chakwera
            stressed  that  electricity  is  very  crucial  for national development and in fulfilling the country’s vision.

            “If we don’t get things right in our generation and power supply service, it will have a knock-on effect on our vision to create jobs,
            create wealth, and create food security. The indispensability of electricity to our vision is indisputable.” Said the President.
            President Chakwera further said that 1000 Megawatts will be added to the national grid over the next four years and that the
            commissioning of Tedzani IV meant 19 Megawatts down and 981 to go.
            EGENCO was incorporated on 9th September 2016 as a public company under the Companies Act (Cap 46:03) and started its full
            operations on 1st January 2017. This followed  implementation  of  Power  Sector  Reform  Programme  which  also  allowed
            Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to operate in the country.


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