The Dark Age is again haunting Malawi following a reduction in power generation due to Mwera winds, Malawi24 has learnt.
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has clarified that customers will be experiencing long hours of load shedding since water levels are dropping in Lake Malawi and Shire River where over 90 percent of the country’s electricity is generated.
Escom public relations manager Innocent Chitosi said on Monday that Mwera winds have reduced water levels a development which has forced Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) to reduce power generation from the current 200 to 180 megawatts.
Chitosi however did not specifically disclose how long the loadshedding hours will be extended from the current five hours in a day.
“Customers might be exposed to longer hours of load shedding than programmed. This started last week and for now I cannot say how long [it will go on for]. We are doing everything possible to ensure we mitigate these challenges.
“The whole of last week maybe some customers did not feel it because we used the emergency generators. We used them longer than the six hours they are programmed to run so that is why some customers did not feel it,” said Chitosi.
He said since the problem emerged last week, the power utility company has been using emergency generators and is worried that running costs for the generators and fuel availability may pose a challenge in ensuring that they continue operating for longer hours.
Meanwhile, Egenco spokesperson Moses Gwaza has described the situation as temporary saying power generation might be restored once the winds are gone.
Mwera winds affect water levels in Lake Malawi and Shire River since the winds enhance evaporation and push most of the waters northwards and offshore.
First time to hear this.
u keep on raising the electricity tariffs end telling us that thy’ll be an improvement but until today. you are just good at stealing fuel for running the genset. mumudziwe yesu agalu inu.