MALAWI – The government of Malawi has officially launched the 60 MW Salima Solar PV plant that was developed by JCM Matswani Solar Corp Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) owned by the Canadian Independent Power Producer (IPP) JCM Power and InfraCo Africa Limited.

The facility becomes Malawi’s first commercial solar project to connect to the grid.

Situated 75km east of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, the new solar energy facility will supply power to Malawi’s state-owned electricity utility, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Limited (ESCOM), via a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).

The African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) through its Regional Liquidity Support Facility (RLSF) provided a revolving liquidity guarantee of US$ 4.4 million that can be drawn in the event of payment delays by the national off-taker, ESCOM.

This is the second Malawian project to benefit from the RLSF guarantee, the first one being Phase 1 of the Nkhotakota Solar Power Plant currently under construction.

Only 11% of Malawi’s population has access to electricity and that supply is not always reliable and the renewable energy project will increase Malawi’s electricity supply by more than 12% and help improve its electrification rate.

Call for renewable energy investors

Speaking at the official opening ceremony, the President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera said that: “my administration is developing the first-ever Renewable Energy Act, which will help us better regulate the sector and reduce systemic inefficiencies.”

“I, therefore, invite committed investors in the energy sector to leverage off the opportunities present in the country and work with my administration,” Chakwera added.

Malawi’s energy sector has recently gone through sector restructuring efforts with the goal of increasing the availability of reliable electricity supply in the country including the unbundling of ESCOM and the establishment of the Electricity Generation Company of Malawi (EGENCO).

More recently, ESCOM has been further unbundled with the introduction of Power Market Limited (PML), which will become the Single Buyer in the energy sector – taking over PPAs signed between ESCOM and IPPs.

Additional restructuring of Malawi’s power market is underway, with strong investor interest and political will for IPPs to enter the market.

Malawi has an installed electricity generation capacity of around 439 MW and over 90% of this capacity comes from hydropower plants on the Shire River in the southern region but this heavy reliance on hydro is often constrained by drought and low water levels.

Moving forward, there is high potential for solar and new hydro technologies to enter into the power market, thanks to reforms by the Government that has led to the establishment of a viable electricity market for private sector participation in generation expansion.

Liked this article? Subscribe to DealStreet Africa News, our regular email newsletter with the latest news, deals, and insights from Africa’s business, economy, and more. SUBSCRIBE HERE