Some officials from the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi are in Tete, Mozambique, to appreciate the progress of the Mozambique-Malawi Interconnection Power Project (MOMA) on the Mozambican side.
The team, which is led by ESCOM Board Chairperson, Gospel Kazako, will also visit the Zambezi river coast, where the power line will pass with 1.7km. They are in the company of officials from Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), a state-owned public utility company responsible for the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Mozambique
The project was launched in November 2021 and was presided over by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and then Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi.
However, the construction works started in March 2023 by the Indian contractor Larsen and Toubro Limited.
Malawi completed its end of the bargain earlier this year but the Mozambican part has been delayed due to, among other things, the post-election conflicts in that country.
The MOMA project aims to connect Malawi and Mozambique’s electricity transmission systems, allowing the two nations to engage in bilateral and regional power trade within the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) The integration makes Malawi the newest member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to join and integrate its power network with the region.
The project comprises the erection of a 218-kilometre 400 kilovolts high voltage power transmission line feeding about 50MW into the Malawi national grid.
Funded by the World Bank, German Development Bank (KfW), European Investment Bank, and the Malawian government, the project has a total cost of $154 million. Once completed, the MOMA project will enhance Malawi’s electricity supply, promote economic growth, and increase access to electricity in the region, marking a significant milestone in regional energy integration and cooperation.
Currently, Malawi has a total installed capacity of 554.24MW, comprising 401.8MW from hydro, 51.4MW from diesel power generation, and 101MW from solar sources, according to ESCOM.
By Mercy Zamawa, Tete-Mozambique
