Malawi Energy Expert Calls for Overhaul of Escom’s Crumbling Power Grid
Malawi’s state-owned power distributor is facing renewed pressure to modernise its ageing infrastructure after an energy expert warned that the country’s electricity grid is in urgent need of an overhaul.
The expert has called on the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) to overhaul its maintenance and monitoring systems to address what they describe as persistent power blackouts, according to reporting carried by AllAfrica.
Hydroelectric dependence
Escom, which holds a monopoly over the distribution and sale of electricity in Malawi, supplies power largely generated by hydroelectric plants along the Shire River in the country’s southern region. The principal generating stations — Nkula, Tedzani and Kapichira — have long served as the backbone of national supply, but their output is heavily dependent on water levels in the Shire valley, which fluctuate with seasonal rainfall patterns.
During prolonged dry seasons, water levels at the dams have dropped sharply, forcing Escom to impose extended load-shedding schedules. The utility has also struggled with the technical reliability of its transmission network, much of which dates back several decades and has not been comprehensively upgraded.
Calls for reform
The expert’s intervention comes amid growing frustration among households and businesses that have endured repeated outages, often lasting several hours at a time. Malawi’s industrial sector, which depends on a stable electricity supply, has been among the hardest hit, with manufacturers reporting lost production time during blackouts.
The call for overhauling maintenance and monitoring systems reflects a broader concern that without sustained investment in grid reliability, Malawi will continue to face electricity shortages that constrain economic activity and daily life. Escom has previously pointed to ongoing efforts to expand generation capacity, including the rehabilitation of existing hydropower stations and growing investment in solar power across the country.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
