The Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited (EGENCO) will shut down Nkula Power Station for eight hours between tonight and tomorrow morning, which means 136 MW will not be available for generation.
Nkula A and Be power stations will be shut down from Saturday, 5 February 2022 at 22:00Hrs to Sunday, 6 February 2022 at 06:00Hrs as EGENCO plans to install new intake trash screens for Nkula B Power Plant.
The installation follows inspection of the intake trash screens on 31st January, 2022 which showed that some trash screens are dislodged and therefore cannot provide effective protection to the machines hence needs replacement.
“The public may wish to appreciate that it is very important that we have all intake trash screens in perfect working condition to ensure protection of the machines. This replacement is therefore vital for continued operation of the machines in the most safe and efficient manner,” the company said in a statement.
EGENCO has been dealing with excessive at Nkula Power Station since floods caused by Tropical Storm Ana hit the Southern Region in January.
Last week, one of EGENCO’s trash-raking machine got stuck under water due to excessive trash and differential pressure created by the trash.
The company has also been forced to shut down 129MW Kapichira Power Station due to damage of its intake following the floods.
Currently, EGENCO is generating limited amount of power due to the disaster that occurred at Kapichira Power Station and that is why the company has chosen to do the works at Nkula in the night.
During the period, generation of electricity at Tedzani Power Stations shall continue and diesel generators shall also be in use to supplement the available hydropower station and to minimize the impact of the outage and inconvenience to the public.
