Two firms shortlisted for 350MW power project
Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) has shortlisted two international energy firms as strategic sponsors for the 350 megawatts (MW) Mpatamanga Hydropower Project expected to be completed in the next four years.
PPPC acting chief executive officer Audrey Mwala told journalists in Blantyre on Thursday that the two firms—SN Power Invest of The Netherlands and Electricite De France SA from France—have teamed up and submitted a joint bid as a consortium.
She said 15 firms expressed interest during the pre-qualification phase, which included strict technical and financial criteria to ensure that the project’s selected strategic investor is fully qualified and capable of executing the power project.
Said Mwala: “The consortium of the two firms has successfully passed the pre-qualification stage for the project and has since been invited to submit a request for proposal.
“The final phase of the tender process will require them to submit a proposal that demonstrates government’s satisfaction and their capability and commitment to implement a project that is reliable and affordable for the people of Malawi.”
The Mpatamanga Project consists of two hydro-power plants with the capacity of generating 309MW of power and a regulating dam with a hydro power plant capable of generating 41MW of base load electricity downstream from the main reservoir and power plant.
Energy consultant Grain Malunga said in an interview on Thursday that the project is crucial as it remains the country’s key project to ease power shortages.
He said: “Malawi is energy hungry where the country is still far from achieving our energy needs.
“We see and hope that the Mpatamanga project, with the coming in of the private sector, would bring efficient energy and reliable supply in the county.”
Currently, Malawi is struggling to produce adequate power, with only 10 percent of the country’s 17.6 million people having access to electricity, according to the Malawi Sustainable Energy Investments Report.
