Egenco to install an K800m machine at Nkula B to ease blackouts in Malawi
The Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) Malawi Limited will between Friday and Tuesday next week be installing an K800 million inlet valve at Nkula B Power station, one of the activities in the rehabilitation and modernization of the station.
In a statement, Egenco which sells its power to Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) says this major maintenance work involves replacing the main inlet valve (MIV) with a new one which government has procured at the cost of €1.18 million.
Twin State-owned power utilities, Escom and Egenco, have been under fire over extended blackouts.
But Egenco says it see the light at the end of the tunnel, saying this is the first major maintenance work to be carried out since the station was commissioned in 1981.
“With the condition in which the MIV is in, we run the risk of failing to close the unit in case of floods as the MIV is worn out and is not closing,” reads the statement.
Egenco says the station once flooded due to the failure of the valve. It says a recurrence of such an incident would mean the nation losing all the machines at the station.
“Egenco therefore appeals to the public to understand that this maintenance work is very crucial and inevitable.
“After this maintenance, we will be assured of safe and effective operations of this machine at Nkula B Power station,” reads the statement.
The works will lead to reduced power generation as 100MW will be taken out of the national grid resulting in reduced electricity supply.
“Egenco would like to assure the nation that it will do everything possible to minimize the impact of the Nkula B shut down by running its diesel generators in Lilongwe and Mzuzu for longer hours and will also ensure maximum utilization of its other hydro power stations,” it says.
The statement is co-signed by Blantyre Water Board whose supply of water will be affected in the period of the maintenance works.
Government is also rehabilitating Nkula A which became obsolete. Nkula A has three machines each 8MW. After modernisation, each machine will produce 12MW.
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EGENCO come on!!! There are lots of options out there, among others think about turbulent hydro-power and solar energy. Very simple methods, Imagine a single turbulent hydro-power would support almost 60 households. What if every community has its own turbulent hydro-power? Lots of power, right? But if I go ahead and construct my own turbulent hydro-power, its quite obvious you will accuse me of going against the policy.
DPP stink and they must go. They take us for granted. We need real experts in this field and not Polytechnic trained engineers who are spoiled by thieves and liars in dpp. APM waferuka nadi.
better not gensets fire Ligoya now and bring back Mwapasa
It is high time we accept that our 2 companies can not come up with new technologies to generate power. We will just be wasting resources in maintaining the old technologies. Its time we think of new economical but efficient ways of generating power.
The hydro generation is facing more challenges than before due to deforestation, we should think of nuclear and other means.
ku Malawi kuno tazazako machende okhaokha basi mxiiiii
Mukunamiza ndani………
The board and executive of EGENCO should just resign. Its an excuse after excuse, plan after plan. Its just shameful. If it was a different country you lot would have been long fired or arrested for not doing your job properly. Why is it that you’re paid your fees every quarter (board) and every month (executive) without fail. There are no “blackouts” to your salaries. I wish every time there was a blackout for over 8 hours your fees and salaries are withheld and frozen for a month. Maybe with that type of penalties you’d perform accordingly and not make… Read more »
Muthalika and his corrupt govt taking advantage of the illiterate and too calm malawian society. How much taxi payers money will you spend in ‘easing’ not eliminating blackouts? You launched the gensets promising an end to blackouts now its even worse than before. Soon we will hear foundation stone of that project.
This is what Trump meant by Sithole countries with shithole leadership. Muthalika does not deserve another mandate in office. He is simply incompetent!
These guys seem to have a book full of excuses. Just give us electricity man, simple!
EGENCO nthano zachuluka. I suggest the board and executives resign with immediate effect. Its the bst you can do under the circumstances after holding the whole country to ransom. because of your tardiness Malawi has and is losing major foreign investment, the manufacturing and mining sectors are limping and SME’s are closing down. Forecast GDP growth has been revised downwards largely because of perpetual blackout.