Construction of the 23 MW Tedzani IV power station, on Malawi’s Shire river, will start before the end of this year, with the facility scheduled to come on stream by 2018.

Malawi Natural Resources, Energy and Mining Ministry energy affairs spokesperson Joseph Kalowekamo says that the project, which is being funded by the Japanese International Corporation Agency, is currently at the contractor procurement stage.

The project forms part of the Malawi government’s energy-sector master plan for 2016 to 2020.

Other projects that fall under the plan include the 300 MW Kam’mwamba coal-fired power station project, which will be financed by a loan from the Export and Import Bank of the People’s Republic of China. The project, whose construction is expected to start by the middle of this year, is scheduled to start feeding 10% of its output into the national grid by 2019 and the balance of 90% by 2021.

As part of the master plan, Malawi is also undertaking feasibility and design studies on a number of long-term projects that could be partly implemented during the period 2016 to 2020.

These projects include the first phase of the Songwe River Basin hydropower project, which is to be funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Malawi and Tanzania governments. The project’s feasibility and design studies were completed towards the end of 2015, while funding and other issues are expected to be finalised this year. The project is expected to be commissioned in 2022, with 90 MW reserved for each country.

There is also the 350 MW Mpatamanga hydropower project, on the Shire river, which is still at the feasibility stage, with the detailed design stage to be funded by the World Bank under the Energy Sector Support Project (ESSP). The Mpatamanga project is expected to come on line by 2021.

The AfDB is also funding the ongoing feasibility study for the Kholombidzo hydropower project, with an envisaged generation capacity of 100 MW. The feasibility study report is expected to be delivered this year.

Also under way, with funding from the World Bank under its ESSP, is a feasibility study for the South Rukuru river-located Lower Fufu hydropower project, which is scheduled for completion during 2016.

Malawi is currently experiencing serious electricity shortages, as the current generation capacity of 251 MW is far lower than the country’s peak demand of 400 MW.