Every year, ESCOM identifies areas that may be
electrified using its own funds as a way of increasing
electricity access in the country as well as to
expand its distribution system. Such projects
help to reduce the cost of bringing electricity
to an area.
The government of Malawi has a duty to bring
electricity to the rural areas as part of development.
Government normally contracts ESCOM to construct
power lines in the selected rural areas and later
hands over the constructed power lines to ESCOM.
The project is in its fifth phase and so far the
project has covered most of the rural areas.
The distribution network in the country is carried
on wooden poles and its overhead lines are exposed
to the ever-changing weather hence the need for
increased maintenance of the lines to ensure quality
supply of power.
As the population of our towns and cities continue
to increase, ESCOM’s network does get strained.
With a strained system, customers experience,
lack of rehabilitation and system reinforcements
will lead to frequent loss of power especially
during peak times (from 5am – 8am; 5pm –
8pm). After proper system load flow studies, ESCOM
initiates projects to reinforce the system and
carries out rehabilitation projects to improve
supply.
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