Egenco to invest in 3 power generators

Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) is in the process of purchasing   heavy duty diesel generators to add 36 megawatts (MW) to the 354 MW on the national grid which is straining to supply power throughout the country.

The generators which will be purchased from India will be installed in Mzuzu, Blantyre and Lilongwe.

For Blantyre the generators will be producing 20 MW, Lilongwe 10 MW while ones in Mzuzu will be producing 6 MW.

The development comes at a time when intermittent power outages are affecting production in companies and this might paralyse the economy as production has shrunk and perishable commodities are going bad in refrigerators.

Speaking in an interview Egenco spokesperson Moses Gwaza said the process of purchasing the generators started last month and a site where the machines will be installed next month is being cleared.

Said Gwaza: ”The issue of power outages is affecting our operations because on  a day we are load shedding between 60 and 70 MW and this is a lot of money. With the additional 36 MW we know we will reduce blackouts.”

According to Gwaza, Egenco is also in the process of acquiring solar equipment to produce 70 MW and this exercise will be completed next year.

“We are looking at several aspects to end the electricity woes and apart from the solar and heavy duty generators we are also dredging our dams to make sure that they store enough water to run the turbines. Siltation is also a huge problem and we are continuously dredging to remove sand,” he said.

An energy expert Joseph Kalowekamo said the generators and solar equipment are a quick solution to the current energy woes the country is facing.

“As we wait to implement long term energy projects, it was important that we find quick solutions to the current challenges. Without energy a lot of things cannot move as energy drives the economy,” said Kalowekamo.

Mining expert Grain Malunga urged Egenco to fulfil its promises because all along they have been promising to buy the generators, but things were moving slowly on the ground.

“They have always been promising and I will be waiting with abated breath to see whether the project will be fulfilled.

“Energy is what drives the economy and Egenco must change its attitude and implement these projects as soon as possible to minimise the power shortage problems,” said Malunga.