Power cuts lead to surge in generator sales in Mzuzu
Almost 14 hours of power cut a day for the last three months is forcing industries, small and big, to go in for generators.
A generator supplier in Mzuzu says that the company used to supply about eight generator sets a month. Now, it is 50 to 60 a month and the orders keep piling up.
Nearly four months ago, Stansfield Select used to book orders for one or two generators a week.
“Now, it is much higher. In fact, we are selling between 50 and 60 generators in a month with the current black outs.
“In a day people are buying three to four generator sets,” said the company’s business development executive Kennedy Munzelwa.
Munzelwa said one generator set of 2.5KVA costs about K340 000 while the biggest of 5.5KVA is going at K1.3million.
“Some are buying for home use while others it’s for industrial use,” he said. His firm supplies generators and water pumps.
Apart from the demand for new generators, the second-hand generator market is also at its peak, one supplier said. He said sales are surging as Malawi continues to experience prolonged electricity rationing.
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) embarked on an intensive load shedding programme following the decline of water levels in the Shire River due to low rainfall that the country has been receiving for the past two years.
The load shedding has been a misfortune for many, but for generators suppliers such as Stansfield Select the power crisis is a blessing in disguise.
Martin Mofjeld of Nordam Enterprises is another supplier in Mzuzu who is all smiles because sales have soared from selling three heavy duty generators a month to five at the moment.
“As you can see, the year is not yet over; but we have already sold five sets for industrial usage,” said Mofjeld adding that each gen set costs about K1 million to K20 million.
Higher use of old and new generators has pushed up the demand for diesel too.
In an interview, Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) Karl Chokotho said investment in generators is affecting production of the private sector.
“The power outages are here to stay. We do not have any hope at the moment. Let us use alternative sources of energy for survival,” said Chokotho. n
