- Storm costs Malawi has knocked out a third of Malawi’sgenerating capacity.
- Approximately 130MW was shut down.
- The storm killed 32 people and displaced 188,000 people across 17 communities.
Malawi’s sole power generation company says Tropical Storm Ana which ravaged the country last month, has cost it about a third of its generating capacity. According to Electricity Generation Company Malawi Limited (EGENCO) officials, Malawi lost approximately 130MW due to the shutdown of its Kapichira Power Station in the Chikwawa district. “We lost the dam here because the control mechanism that we used to bring the water to the intake of the machines destroyed,” explained EGENCO’s chief executive officer, William Liabunya.
In addition, the company owns and operates thermal and solar power plants. It has a total installed generation capacity of over 440MW, with approximately 390MW coming from hydropower plants and about 50MW from thermal power plants.
Malawi’s Energy Minister, Ibrahim Matola, has appealed to donors for assistance in rehabilitating the power station. “These works cannot be completed with only our local funds because we are overburdened with other related issues,” he said. “However, I would like to call on the international community; the World Bank, IMF, European Union, Britain, and Americans to come and assist us.” According to Matola, Malawi will temporarily require approximately $23 million to rehabilitate the damaged Kapichira Power Station temporarily. Meanwhile, some businesses in affected areas have closed temporarily, while others are using gasoline-powered generators.
According to Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs, the storm killed 32 people and displaced 188,000 people across 17 districts. Meanwhile, donors and well-wishers, including United Nations agencies in Malawi, have begun to assist victims.