Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) says the recently commissioned Battery Energy Storage System (Bess) is helping shorten loadshedding by injecting stored electricity into the national grid during peak demand.
Escom’s explanation comes after it issued a revised loadshedding programme covering July 29 to August 1, which shows shorter outages than under previous schedules.
Escom chief public relations and communications officer Pilirani Phiri said in an interview yesterday that the 20-megawatt battery facility in Lilongwe is currently reducing loadshedding by between 10MW and 12MW during the maximum demand period.
“By injecting this extra capacity directly when demand is highest, the system is directly translating into reduced load shedding duration for consumers,” he said.
Bess stores surplus electricity generated during off-peak periods and releases it during periods of high demand, helping bridge the gap between electricity supply and demand. It also responds almost instantly to sudden spikes in demand or when unexpected frequency drops occur on the network.
Phiri stressed that the system does not generate electricity but is designed for strategic supply-and-demand management of power.
The latest loadshedding programme has also regrouped customers from five categories to seven, with most scheduled outages now occurring in two-hour blocks instead of the longer power interruptions.
Under previous schedules implemented in May and June, some customers faced four-hour outages during both the morning and evening peak periods.
Despite the shorter outages, some consumers said electricity cuts during peak hours disrupt daily activities.
Prosper Mwase, a resident of Area 36 in Lilongwe, said power interruptions in the morning, even when reduced to two hours, still affect families preparing for work and school.
“This means we still need lasting solutions to reduce loadshedding,” he said.
Consumers Association of Malawi executive director John Kapito cautioned against drawing conclusions about the long-term effectiveness of the battery storage system.
He said the system could be efficient now since it is new but could lose its efficiency after some time.
“Let’s see what is going to happen over six months. After that, customers will judge how effective the battery is,” he said.
The Bess project, commissioned on July 24, was financed with $20 million (about K35 billion) from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet as part of efforts to strengthen Malawi’s electricity demand management.
