The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has announced it will implement electricity blackouts of up to nine hours in some areas following a major technical fault at the Kapichira Power Station.
The fault, which occurred on Monday morning and was reported by the Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO), has led to a significant drop in national power supply. As a result, ESCOM has revised this week’s load-shedding programme to manage the electricity deficit and prevent a total system collapse.
“The revised load-shedding schedule is now available on our website (www.escom.mw), Facebook page (escommalawilimited), X.com (@ESCOM_Malawi), and the ESCOM Mobile App,” reads a statement from ESCOM’s Public Relations and Corporate Communications Department.
Under the revised schedule, some areas will experience power cuts lasting a minimum of three hours, while others may face outages of up to nine hours depending on demand and load balancing needs.
ESCOM has clarified that its role is limited to electricity transmission, distribution, and system market operations and that it does not generate power. “The current load-shedding is beyond our control as it stems from supply shortfalls from generation companies,” the utility company said.
The corporation has apologised for the inconvenience and called for public understanding as it works to stabilise the power supply. Details on the cause of the fault at Kapichira or the timeline for restoration have not yet been provided.
