Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has launched a US$70 million project to connect electricity to 180,000 houses in the next two years, including connections to thousands of grass-thatched houses across the country.
The Malawi Electricity Access Project (MEAP) project, which is being funded by the World Bank and implemented by ESCOM and the Ministry of Energy, was launched yesterday in Lilongwe.
ESCOM chief executive officer Kamkwamba Kumwenda said their target under the project is to connect 30,000 customers by the end of March, 2023.
“The law currently does not allow us to connect electricity to grass-thatched houses. However, we have equipment specifically for grass-thatched house which will ensure that there are no fire incidents due to the electricity. We are ready to connect over 100,000 grass-thatched houses,” said Kumwenda.
Under the project, there are customers requiring a service drop, some requiring one or more pole and those requiring a transformer. Phase 1 will target service drop connections in order to clear backlog. The other categories will be connected under phase 2.
According to Kumwenda, ESCOM has received 50,000 meters, and is expecting delivery of poles, cables and conductors. The company has also recruited design engineer & safeguard specialists under US$5 million technical assistance component of the project.
He added that to recover from delays, ESCOM has decided to use all internal connection teams on the project and In parallel, recruitment of contractors is under way to support Phase 2 connections.
Connections started two weeks ago in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu and will also roll out to all districts.
Asked why they want to increase number of connections when electricity supply is low, Kumwenda argued that ESCOM is doing its part by connecting customers to avoid being in a situation whereby there is enough power supply but customers are not connected to the grid.
Speaking during the launch, Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola said Government requested for financing under a loan facility from the World Bank in order to accelerate connections and contribute towards increasing access to electricity by incentivising low-income households through soft loan facility for connection, and provision of ready boards for low-cost installations.
He added that this is aimed at bringing the country’s on- grid electricity access rate to around 30% by 2030, from 12% as at the start of the project in 2020.
“For too long, Malawians have been deprived of having access to electricity. However, through the commitment of this Government to leave no-one behind, Malawians can now enjoy and share the benefits of this important service,” said Matola.
He also called on people to guard against theft and vandalism of equipment installed under the Project.
Senior Chief Tsabango whose area has benefited from the project thanked Government for the project targeting even grass thatched houses.
He said people in his area have formed committees to look after the equipment which has been used to connect electricity
He also called on ESCOM to ensure that all targeted areas are connected within the planned timeframe.
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