- The French energy business Voltalia has created the Dwangwa solar project in Malawi, and IFC has been given the authority to arrange funding for it.
- Malawi will be able to lessen its dependence on electrical imports as well as hydroelectricity, which has already been damaged by the drought in the area.
- The future project will have a combined capacity of 65 MW with a battery storage system.
For Malawi, decarbonization and mix diversification of the electricity are promising. 165 kilometers from the country’s capital Lilongwe, a solar power plant with battery storage will shortly be constructed close to the Dwangwa lake region. Voltalia, an independent power producer (IPP), is carrying out the project after receiving a recent finance commitment from the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
But first, the private sector finance organization of the World Bank Group will “conduct due diligence.” The facility will feature a solar energy capacity of 55 MW and a 10 MWh battery storage system, giving it a total capacity of 65 MW. Under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), the generated electricity would be supplied to the state-owned Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM).
Only 15% of the people in this East African nation have access to electricity, despite having 400 MWp of installed capacity, the World Bank reports. The Malawian government is putting its money on the development of renewable energy in this situation, which also includes natural calamities and a high cost of living. In light of this, Solarcentury Africa, a leading provider of solar solutions, and Renewable Energy Services Africa, a British company, have agreed to construct the Nkhoma Deka solar photovoltaic power plant (50 MWp) in 2021. The plant is anticipated to supply power to Malawi’s national grid.