Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining Jean Mathanga has expressed satisfaction with the progress of Escom Limited’s 20 megawatts (MW) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project in Kanengo, Lilongwe.
The $16 million project, funded by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Geapp), started in November 2024 and expected to be commissioned in February 2026.
The project seeks to enhance electricity reliability and access by adding 20MW to the national electricity grid.
Speaking when she toured the project site on Monday, Mathanga said government will provide the necessary support to ensure the project meets its February 2026 completion deadline as part of efforts to boost investment in the energy sector.
She said: “I wanted to physically see what is going on here and get a clear understanding of the stages we are at because the energy sector is key to facilitating growth of other sectors like manufacturing and mining.
“The government will, therefore, ensure that it provides relevant support to the project, which is currently at 70 percent.”
Electricity Supply Corporation Malawi (Escom) acting chief executive officer Engineer Sinosi Maliyano said the batteries are being shipped from China and are expected to arrive by the end of this month.
He said the system will store power generated by Independent Power Producers from solar projects, improving supply stability and reliability.
“This is critical because as of now we have over 100 megawatts generated from solar, but for that power to be integrated we need these batteries,” he said
The 20MW to be generated by the Bess Project is expected to also benefit industries at Kanengo Industrial Area, according to Escom.
