Malawi: Govt Says Malawi Needs 230mw of Electricity to Power the Mining Sector

Head of Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) Dr Jane Banda has disclosed that mining in Malawi needs at least 230 Mega Wats (MW) of electricity which is a 40 per cent of the country’s current generation capacity.

Banda also Deputy Secretary for the Office of President and Cabinet (DSPC) made the remarks during the Mining Pre-Lab meeting held on Tuesday in Lilongwe.

She said mining sector is mugged with issues of inadequate infrastructure such as energy access and roads as well as investments.

“This means that Malawi need to prepare well with adequate electricity to make mining tick. We can therefore not emphasize enough the key role that electricity will play to unlock the mining industry,” she emphasized.

Principal Secretary for Mining, Joseph Mkandawire said the amount of energy required in the sector is huge surpassing the consumption levels in the country.

“But we are discussing with the energy sector to unlock some of the bottlenecks. Companies will start in peace meal approach. It will not come in a bullet but in a staggered manner, he said.

However PDU plans to conduct the Mining Delivery Lab in June,2024 to troubleshoot and resolve the hindera wences slowing down advancement in the sector.