President Lazarus Chakwera says blackouts in Malawi will significantly drop by Christmas because his government has secured a USS60 million (K61 billion) loan to rehabilitate Kapichira Power Station.
President Chakwera made the remarks today during the launch of the JCM Golomoti Solar Power Plant in Dedza today.
The Malawi leader noted that the damage at Kapichira Power Station caused by Cyclone Ana has forced Malawi to resort to load-shedding.
The current blackouts in Malawi usually last at least four hours a day and sometimes are extended to 10 hours.
Chakwera said the blackouts will be reduced after the rehabilitation of the 129.6MW power station.
“I know that the blackouts have been inconvenient but Malawians can expect a significant drop in blackouts by Christmas because my administration has secured a USD60 million soft loan from World Bank towards the restoration of Kapichira Power Plant over the next six months.
“The restoration of Kapichira is important because it will ensure that we stay focused on reaching our target of having 1000MW supplied to the grid within the next three years,” said Chakwera.
The Malawi leader in his speech commended the innovation of JCM in implementing the 20 Megawatts (MW) plant in Dedza and another 60MW plant in Salima.
He urged the Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola to ensure that independent power producers (IPPs) are not frustrated by bureaucracy or some public officers.
Chakwera ordered the minister to provide a report on status of IPPs which have expressed interest to invest in the Malawi energy sector.
The Golomoti Solar Power Plant which has capacity to provide 50 gigawatt of clean energy for the next 30 years is the largest of its kind in the whole Sub-Saharan Africa.
JCM offered employment to 500 locals during the project and expects to keep 20 of those as long-term staff for the whole span of the project. In addition, the company is providing potable water to schools and hospitals and has constructed school blocks in the area.
According to Christian Wray, co-founder of JCM Power, the facility is unique with storage power of 5 megawatts from solar batteries that can be used even in cold weather, which he said is the first of its kind in Africa.
Wray who is also Chief Executive Officer for JCM power hailed the working relationship with Malawi Government which has enabled electricity companies to provide power to the national grid.
World Bank to lend Malawi K61 billion for Kapichira Power Station
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