Councils asked to explore energy in development plans

The Department of Energy Affairs has stressed the need for councils to include energy issues as a priority in their development plans.

Speaking in Dedza on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting, principal energy officer in the Department of Energy Affairs, Conwell Chisale, said when councils are collecting information on the development needs of people at grassroots level they should consider energy issues.

He said including energy issues in the councils’ development plans would help address energy supply challenges Malawians are facing.

Said Chisale: “It is high time thesethat these energy issues begin to be tackled at the grassroots.”

Dedza district commissioner Ellis Tembo commended the Department of Energy Affairs for encouraging the council to consider mainstreaming issues of energy in the social economic profile and district development plan.

He said that when developing district plans issues of energy will be considered as well.

Tembo added that government has put Dedza as one of the districts where solar plants will be set to provide energy to the national grid of 70 megawatts. n