By Chisomo Phiri
Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Jean Mathanga, has assured Malawians that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP )-led government is working tirelessly to resolve the ongoing challenges in electricity supply and fuel availability in the country.
Mathanga made the remarks in Parliament on Tuesday when presenting a ministerial statement on the current state of electricity generation and fuel supply in the country.
She acknowledged that the current electricity situation remains unsatisfactory, with demand consistently exceeding supply,forcing the ministry to implement scheduled load-shedding across the nation.
“As of 21st October 2025, Malawi’s maximum system demand stood at 420 megawatts (MW), while the installed generation capacity is 551 MW.However, due to various operational challenges, the available supply has been lower than expected.
“Government is, therefore, exploring every possible energy source to stabilize the situation once and for all”,she said.
The minister outlined a number of short-term measures aimed at reducing electricity blackouts.
“Government is laying the groundwork to minimize power outages. Firstly, we are working to restore all generation machines at EGENCO.The unavailable 31 MW at Tedzani III will be fully restored by December 2025, as the required spare parts have already been procured and are expected to arrive this November,” she said.
Mathanga added that maintenance works have been intensified ahead of the rainy season, which has contributed to the current load-shedding schedule.
She further revealed that the Salima Solar Power Plant will add 10 MW to the national grid by December 2025, along with a 2.5 MWh battery storage system to be commissioned by March 2026.
“In addition, the Mozambique–Malawi Interconnector, expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2026, will allow us to import up to 50 MW of electricity.Raiply, under an Independent Power Producer (IPP) arrangement, will also commission a 10 MW biomass power plant by November 2025. To further stabilize the grid, a 20 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will be commissioned by March 2026,” she explained.
“To mitigate the impact of load-shedding, customers are grouped and rotated to ensure fair distribution of available power,” added the Minister.
Mathanga emphasized that government is implementing long-term strategies to ensure sustainable energy security and support industrial growth.
“The 358.5 MW Mpatamanga Hydropower Project, which will commence construction in 2026 under a Public–Private Partnership arrangement, will significantly boost national capacity and enable Malawi to export power through regional interconnectors,” she said.
She also disclosed that the EGENCO Salima Nanjoka Solar Power Plant will be expanded to 50 MW with an 8 MWh battery storage system by 2029, while the Wovwe Hydropower Plant will be upgraded from 4.5 MW to 9 MW.
“Government will also facilitate the implementation of the 300 MW Kam’mwamba Coal-Fired Power Project under an IPP model to provide stable power for industrial use.Furthermore, we are supporting IPPs with signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in solar, hydro, wind, and gas to accelerate diversification of the energy mix,” she said.
The minister said through the Malawi Emergency Power Restoration Project, damaged transmission and distribution infrastructure will be rehabilitated to improve reliability and resilience.
“Collectively, these interventions will substantially reduce load-shedding, improve reliability, and create a stronger platform for Malawi’s economic transformation,” she said.
On the fuel situation, Mathanga explained that the government is taking decisive steps to normalize the supply of fuel across the country.
She noted that fuel demand has risen from 52 million litres per month in 2024 to 65 million litres per month in 2025.
“The government’s priority is to ensure that fuel imports consistently meet national demand. To achieve this, we are increasing the allocation of foreign exchange for fuel imports, improving access to sea ports through constant engagement with neighbouring countries, ensuring cost-reflective tariffs, and reverting to the Open Tender System to enhance efficiency, transparency, and value for money. We are also diversifying importers to promote competition and reduce dependency on a few suppliers,” she said.
The minister added that her ministry is closely working with the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of Malawi, and local commercial banks to secure increased foreign exchange allocations for fuel imports.
“Government has also engaged multilateral banks for a credit facility ranging between US$120 million and US$150 million to stabilize the current fuel situation and replenish our fuel reserves,” she said.
The minister informed Parliament that between Tuesday and Friday this week, Malawi is expected to receive 92 trucks loaded with fuel to further ease the shortages.
