Two Escom competitors given go-ahead to produce power

Malawi Government has given a go-ahead to two independent power producers (IPP) in an effort to create competition in the energy sector currently dominated by Escom.

Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola said this Wednesday when he witnessed the arrival of two transformers Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has bought from China.

Matola explained that his ministry has endorsed Intra Energy, an Australian company and HE Power to start generating power for sale to the public and that the two companies have already done feasibility studies in Chipoka and Dowa respectively.

The minister indicated that Intra Energy will be generating power from coal while HE Power will venture into hydro-electricity production.

Matola said government had decided to open doors to private energy producers to ease pressure on the country’s sole electricity provider and offer customers a wider choice and promote quality of services in the energy sector.

“People will have to choose which supplier to connect to depending on the tariffs and quality of service provided. By the end of the day, government wants to ensure Malawians are paying for the services they’re satisfied with,” he stated.

However, Matola assured that Escom will strive to improve its services with the coming in of the new transformers.

Escom public relations officer, Kitty Chingota, promised reduced ‘power blackouts’ by end October this year when the corporation will have installed the new transformers bought from China.

“Work (installation) on Kapichira will start tomorrow and finish by October end. So, our customers should expect eased load shedding once the transformers have been commissioned towards the end of next month (October),” she explained.

However, Chingota could not disclose how much Escom has spent on the transformers.

On Tuesday afternoon, Blantyre residents were treated to a free fanfare as new transformers arrived in the city, bringing traffic to a standstill as the convoy of vehicles carrying the power generating machines drove at a snail’s pace to allow a handful of residents, who had lined up along the streets, to take a look at them.