Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited has drilled five boreholes in Neno and Mwanza districts for communities displaced by the Mozambique-Malawi (MOMA) 400kv Power Transmission Project.
ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, Kamkwamba Kumwenda, confirmed that the corporation drilled three boreholes in Mwanza and two in Neno for those that relocated from their pieces of land to pave way for the transmission line.
He said this after ESCOM handed over the first borehole at Jonathan Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mlauli in Neno as part of compensation for MOMA Project Affected Persons (PPAs).
Task Team Leader and guest of honour, Zhengjia Meng from the World Bank witnessed the ceremony and praised Malawi’s progress in MOMA’s implementation.
MOMA project implementers on the Mozambique side, Eletricidade De Mocambique (EDM), consultants, Intec GOPA and L & T Contractors also witnessed the handover which was part of the project’s progress assessment tour.
Jonathan community member, Maxwell Smart, said the borehole would address the challenges of limited access to potable water.
Neno District Water Development Officer, Richard Mkandawire, urged the community members to care for the borehole.
ESCOM Social and Gender Inclusion Manager, Elube Chienda, said the drilling of the borehole proves that “the MOMA Project is not only bringing electricity but also lightening up the communities and transforming lives in different aspects.”
ESCOM is also constructing two school blocks, a health clinic, a community-based child care centre, a waiting bay at Chifunga Health Centre in Neno and 46 houses across Neno and Mwanza.
MOMA involves the construction of a 218-kilometre transmission line from Matambo Substation in Tete, Mozambique, to Malawi through Mwanza, Neno then Phombeya Substation in Balaka.
The project has since gathered momentum as towers have been constructed on the 76-kilometre stretch for Malawi ahead of the Commercial Operations Date in November 2024.
The Malawi government is implementing the project through ESCOM for the country to tap 120 megawatts from the Southern Africa Power Pool Association. Eletricidade De Mocambique is doing the same on the Mozambican side.
The European Union, KfW, the World Bank and the Malawi Government are financing the project to the tune of USD127 million.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera, on April 21, 2022, joined his
