Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) has signed a deal with German firm, Fichtner, to assess the feasibility of expanding Wovwe Power Station in Karonga.
Egenco plans to double the 4.5 megawatt (MW) hydropower plant commissioned in 1995 to improve electricity supply in Karonga, Chitipa, Rumphi and parts of Mzuzu.
In an interview, Egenco public relations officer Moses Gwaza said the feasibility study will take 18 months, starting from March.
“We signed the agreement with Fitchner last week,” he said.
According to Egenco chief executive officer William Liabunya, there are prospects to increase Wovwe’s capacity to 10MW.
“Wovwe is the main power plant in the Northern Region. With water coming from the Nyika plateau, where the environment is intact, the water is available throughout the year,” he said.
He said the envisaged expansion of Wovwe would be cheaper than producing electricity using diesel-powered generators which have drove up tariffs by almost 25 percent.
The country produces almost 99 percent of its power output down the Shire River where Nkula, Kapichira and
Tedzani hydro-power plants are located. n
