Burning of charcoal and wood fuel provides approximately 94 percent of the energy in Malawi. [1] Much of the renewable hydroelectric potential of the country is untapped. As per 2018 Population and Housing Census, the national electrification rate in Malawi was 10%, with 37% of the urban population and only 2% of the rural population having access to electricity. [2]
In March 2018, Malawi's installed electricity-generating capacity was 363 megawatts (487,000 hp), [3] of which 93.3 percent was hydroelectric. [4]
With a population of 19 million people in 2018, [5] the country's per capita consumption of electrical energy is still low, estimated at 93 kWh per year compared with an average of 432 kWh for Sub-Saharan Africa and 2167 kWh per year for the World average. There is urgency for Malawi to reach the critical threshold of 500 kWh per year. [2]
Around 85% of energy comes from biomass largely exploited in an unsustainable manner. Imported petroleum account for 3.5% of the energy and electricity produced from hydro power accounts for 2.3% of all energy. [6] Nevertheless, Malawi has the potential to reach 100% sustainable energy access by 2030. [6] According to one study, the country needs to generate capacity to 1,200 megawatts while adding 1.2 million new grid connections to achieve this goal. [7] Improving energy access will have direct impacts on economic development and poverty reduction, climate change, health, and water. [7]
The un-bundling of the former electricity monopoly Electric Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM), with the formation of the Electricity Generation Company Malawi Limited (Egenco), is a welcome development. With the government of Malawi continuing to reform the energy sector, strong investor interest has developed with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) willing to enter the Malawi energy market. [3]
In 2001, as a result of droughts and famines, an unconventional electricity-producing wind turbine made out of spare parts and scrap was built in the village of Wimbe near Kasungu by 14-year-old inventor William Kamkwamba.
The majority of the country's hydroelectric power stations are situated in the Southern Region of the country, specifically on the Shire River. Total grid-connected hydropower is 351 megawatts. This is expected to increase to 369 megawatts, when the 18 megawatts Tedzani IV Hydroelectric Power Station is completed in 2020. [2] [8]
With peak demand of 350 megawatts and growing at about 6 percent annually, the Malawian grid has very little flexibility. [9] This has exposed the country to severe, recurrent load-shedding. It has also stunted big industrial and manufacturing projects, especially in the areas of mining and processing, slowing national development and curtailing job creation. [10]
The hydro-potential of the Shire River is estimated at about 600 MW, and another 400 megawatts of potential exists on smaller rivers including Songwe River, South Rukuru River, Dwangwa River and Bua River. Smaller off-grid untapped potential exists on smaller rivers scattered around the county. [2]
Malawi has coal reserves estimated at 22 billion tons. Coal can also be imported from neighboring Mozambique, via railroad. In 2014, Malawi decided to go ahead with plans to build Kammwamba Thermal Power Station, a planned 1,000 megawatts (1,300,000 hp), coal-fired power station in Neno District. The plans call for starting with a 300 megawatts development, expandable in the future to 1,000 megawatts. The primary source of the coal to fire the power station, was identified as the Moatize coalfields in neighboring Mozambique. The imported coal would be hauled to the site via the nearby railway line. [11]
The government, through the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi, has established, on a temporary basis, several diesel fuel power stations in various locations around the country. [12]
As of April 2018, Malawi has no proven oil and/or gas reserves. [2]
Several IPPs are in the process of setting up grid-ready photo-voltaic solar power plants, to be ready by December 2019. The sites under consideration include Salima, Lilongwe, Dedza and Nkhotakota. A total of 40-70 megawatts is expected from these sites. [13] Many off-grid solar projects dot the countryside, as the hope of universal grid coverage is increasingly growing doubtful. [14]
According to the International Hydropower Association, Canada is the fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world in 2021 after the United States, Brazil, and China. In 2019, Canada produced 632.2 TWh of electricity with 60% of energy coming from Hydroelectric and Tidal Energy Sources).
As of April 2020, the energy sector in Senegal has an installed capacity of 1431 megawatts (MW). Energy is produced by private operators and sold to the Senelec energy corporation. According to a 2020 report by the International Energy Agency, Senegal had nearly 70% of the country connected to the national grid. Current government strategies for electrification include investments in off-grid solar and connection to the grid.
The Kapichira Power Station is a hydroelectric power plant at the Kapachira Falls on the Shire River in Malawi. It has an installed capacity of 128 megawatts (172,000 hp), enough to power over 86,000 homes, with four 32 megawatts (43,000 hp) generating sets. The power station was developed in stages, with the first phase involving the installation of the first two 32 megawatts-generating turbines. Phase I of the power station was officially opened in September 2000.
The Nkhula B Hydroelectric Power Station, also Nkula B Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power plant on the Shire River in Malawi. It has a power generating capacity of 100 megawatts (130,000 hp).
The electricity sector in Sri Lanka has a national grid which is primarily powered by hydroelectric power and thermal power, with sources such as photovoltaics and wind power in early stages of deployment. Although potential sites are being identified, other power sources such as geothermal, nuclear, solar thermal and wave power are not used in the power generation process for the national grid.
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Limited (ESCOM) is the state-owned power transmission and distribution company in Malawi. It is entirely in control of transmission and distribution of electric power in the country. ESCOM represents Malawi in the Southern African Power Pool. It should not be confused with its South African equivalent Eskom.
The Nkhula A Hydroelectric Power Station, also Nhula A Hydroelectric Power Station, is a hydroelectric power plant on the Shire River in Malawi. It has an installed capacity of 36 megawatts (48,000 hp), with three 12 megawatts (16,000 hp) generating sets. The power was developed in stages, with the first phase involving the installation of three 8 megawatts-generating turbines. Phase I of the power station was officially opened in 1966.
The Tedzani Hydroelectric Power Station, also Tedzani Hydroelectric Power Complex, is a complex of integrated hydroelectric power plants across the Shire River in Malawi. It has installed capacity of 111.7 megawatts (149,800 hp), with four power stations adjacent to each other, sharing some of the physical infrastructure and electro-mechanical connections.
The Wovwe Hydroelectric Power Station, also Wovwe Power Station, is a hydroelectric power plant on the Wovwe River in Malawi. It has installed capacity of 4.35 megawatts (5,830 hp), with three generation units of 1.45 megawatts each.
The Electricity Generation Company Malawi Limited (Egenco) is a parastatal company whose primary purpose is to generate electric power for use in Malawi and for possible sale to neighboring countries. As of April 2018, Egenco's generation capacity was 351 megawatts (471,000 hp). In May 2021, Egenco's generation portfolio increased to 441.55 megawatts (592,130 hp), when the 19 MW Tedzani IV Hydroelectric Power Station, was brought online.
The Mpatamanga Hydro Power Project, is a 361MW hydroelectric generating project under developpement at Mpatamanga on the Shire River, in Malawi
Zambia is potentially self-sufficient in sources of electricity, coal, biomass and renewable energy. The only energy source where the country is not self-sufficient is petroleum energy. Many of the sources of energy where the country is self-sufficient are largely unexploited. As of 2017, the country's electricity generating capacity stood at 1,901 megawatts.
Salima Solar Power Station, is a 60 megawatts (80,000 hp) solar power plant, in Malawi, in Southern Africa. The power station was constructed between December 2018 and November 2021.
The Ruo–Ndiza Hydroelectric Power Station is an operational 8.25 megawatts (11,063 hp) hydroelectric power plant in southeastern Malawi, at the border with Mozambique.
Nkhotakota Solar Power Station, is an operational, 21 MW (28,000 hp) solar power plant in Malawi. The solar farm, whose first phase, with capacity of 21 MW, was commercially commissioned in March 2023, is under expansion to 38 MW by a consortium comprising independent power producers Phanes Group and Serengeti Energy Limited.
The Golomoti Solar Power Station is a 20 MW (27,000 hp) solar power plant in Malawi. The power station was developed by a consortium comprising InfraCo Africa of the United Kingdom and JCM Power, a Canadian independent power producer. Construction began during the first quarter of 2021. The solar farm came online during the second quarter of 2022.
Mozambique has abundant energy sources available for exploitation. As of 2021, the country was ranked first in energy potential of all the countries in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), with an estimated energy capacity of 187,000 MW. Available energy sources include coal, hydroelectricity, natural gas, solar energy and wind power. As of September 2021, the largest proportion of the power currently generated is from hydroelectric sources. However the energy mix in the country is changing. Natural gas powered energy stations are expected to provide 44 percent of total energy generation from 2020 to 2030.
Nkhoma Deka Solar Power Station is a planned 50 MW (67,000 hp) solar power plant in Malawi. The solar farm is under development by a consortium comprising Solarcentury Africa (SOCA), headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Renewable Energy Services Africa (RESA), domiciled in Cape Town, South Africa. This power station is part of Malawi's efforts to increase installed national generation capacity from 400 MW, in 2021 to 1,000 MW by 2025.
The Bwengu Solar Power Station is a 50 megawatts solar power plant, under construction in Malawi. The power station is under development by a consortium led by Quantel Renewable Energy, an independent power producer (IPP), based in the United States. Construction began in February 2022, with commercial commissioning expected in the first quarter of 2023. The energy generated at this solar farm is expected to be sold to the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)