Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) plans to build a K15 billion 20-storey office building to replace the building which was damaged by fire in 2013.
On Friday, the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure toured the damaged ESCOM House and company’s board chairperson Frederick Changaya said there are plans to construct a new house.
He, however, said the money for the construction, which is expected to be completed in about three years, will not come from the government.
According to Changaya, ESCOM will source funds using a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and will most likely do it under a mode build, own, operate and transfer.
“Money is not a problem. The problem is the plan. With a project of that magnitude, it is not the money that will come from government. It means it will take forever,” said Changaya.
Changaya further said that the designs for new ESCOM House are at an advanced stage and it is expected that the building will have multi-storey car park to accommodate more than 300 vehicles.
“We want to make sure that within the remaining four months, architectural and engineering structural plans are well approved, including the procurement of the contractor,” he said.
He added that it is important for ESCOM to have its own building as the company will be saving money since the electricity supplier is spending about K40 million a month in rentals at Umoyo House.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure Uchizi Mkandawire commended the company for the plans to build a modern building.
ESCOM is expected to hire a company to demolish the damaged ESCOM House. In 2019, ESCOM hired a company to demolish the building but the electricity supplier was forced to cancel the contract following concerns over the K675 million demolition cost.
