Egenco pledges to diversify power sources
Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) says it is committed to increasing power generation by diversifying energy sources.
Egenco chief executive officer William Liabunya said this yesterday in Salima during a contract signing ceremony with Chint Electric Company for the development of the first phase of 20 megawatts (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at Nanjoka in the district.
The first phase is of 10MW that is expected to be added to the national grid in early 2023.
He said they are embracing strategies to not over-rely on hydropower generation.
Said Liabunya: “We intend to improve generation mix from being 95 percent hydro-based to 76 percent. This is in light of the fact that a combination of climate change and environmental degradation has reduced our hydro power generation capacity for longer periods in the recent years.
“Alternative sources of power like these supplement our sources and help us to continue improving power generation.”
He said the development will maximise benefits to the national grid and satisfy the afternoon peak demand in the country.
Ministry of Energy Principal Secretary Patrick Matanda, who was the guest of honour, said the need for continued improvement in power generation is critical for the country’s development.
He said: “This is a milestone in a quest to increase power generation. As a country, we desperately need these initiatives so that our industries and the economy continue to grow.
“Government will provide all the support required for this project to be a success.”
Chint Electric Company overseas project manager Dennis Chu promised to deliver the project in time, saying they are well experienced.
Egenco is financing the project to the tune of $12 million (about K10 billion).
The Salima solar project is the company’s biggest solar power plant, following the 1.3MW Likoma and Chizumulu plants that were commissioned in 2020.
About 105 hectares of land has already been secured for future scaling up of the Nanjoka Salima Solar Power plant up to 50MW.
The country’s current electricity demand is projected at about 800MW, with Egenco’s total installed generation capacity standing at 441.95MW, creating a gap of about 358MW.
Currently, hydropower is the main source of electricity in Malawi generating nearly 90 percent of the power.
Hydro power plants generate 390.55MW while 51.4MW is from thermal power plants.
