Individuals and companies that produce electricity from renewable sources will soon be able to feed their surplus power into the ESCOM national grid under new net-metering rules.
Minister of Energy Jean Mathanga unveiled the rules in Lilongwe on Wednesday, during the launch of the Electric Mobility Regulatory Framework and Net-Metering Rules.
She said Malawi currently generates 564 megawatts, which falls short of rising demand.
Mathanga said that despite progress in expanding generation capacity, the country’s electricity supply remained inadequate to meet growing demand, requiring new approaches to improve access to reliable power.
“We must therefore explore innovative and complementary approaches to increase electricity generation and improve access to reliable power,” she said.
According to Mathanga, the pilot phase of the net-metering initiative had identified 34 customers eligible to connect to the national grid, with nine already connected.
She said government has also introduced policies to encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles as a dependable alternative to conventional fuel-powered ones.
She said the shift could help ease fuel shortages and lessen the country’s dependence on imported fuel.
However, she called on Malawians to protect electricity infrastructure while pointing that damage to ESCOM and EGENCO facilities would affect everyone regardless of their political affiliation.
On his part, Managing Director for Sky Energy Schizzo Thomson called for more public awareness of electric vehicles, saying they offer a chance to cut transport costs.
