Kapichira phase ll to minimize power outages in Malawi- ESCOM
The Electricity Supply Corporation Of Malawi (ESCOM) on Friday said that Kaphichira Phase II Hydroelectric Power project which will add 64 megawatts to the national power grid will help to minimize load shedding in Malawi.
ESCOM board Director,Morgan Tembo said this during the official opening of Kapichira hydroelectric power station phase ll in Chikhwawa district presided by Malawi President Joyce Banda.
” Let me first apologise to the public on the abnormal blacks out but now l want to assure you that with Kapichira phase ll project the issue of load shedding with be minimized in most parts of the country,” Tembo said.
He also said that the opening of Kapichira phase ll will help ESCOM to connect electricity to those people who applied for it.
“With the opening of Kapichira phase ll we will connect electricity to all the people who applied for it before March this year since now we have enough energy,” he said.
With the addition of Kapichira Phase ll to the national power grid, Escom generation capacity is now at 351MW against a forecast peak demand of 350MW.
The energy sector is one of the five pillars that government identified to improve the country’s economy under the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) unveiled last year. Other sectors are tourism, mining, infrastructure and agriculture.
Following the successful completion of this project, Kapichira Power Station is now the largest on the Escom system with a total installed capacity of 128MW that is 4MW more than the Nkula Power Station that has a total installed capacity of 124MW.
The Kapichira Phase ll Hydroelectric Power Project was implemented as an Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) Contract awarded to China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) Limited of China.
