- Malawi’s president has commissioned the country’s first grid-connected solar plant.
- The 60MWp solar plant was constructed under a PPP and will supply power to the grid under a 20-year PPPA.
Malawi’s President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has inaugurated the Salima solar power plant located in the eponymous district, 101km from the capital city of Lilongwe. This is the country’s first grid-connected solar power plant built under a public-private partnership (PPP). While integrating the plant, President Chakwera noted that the plant is a model for future projects as it demonstrates Malawi’s capacity to attract private sector investment in energy.
The 60MWp plant was developed by JCM Power Corporation, Matswani, and InfraCo Africa, and the Dutch Development Finance Company Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO). Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) guaranteed the solar power plant. In addition, the consortium has signed a 20-year PPA with the state-owned utility Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) for the power from the plant.