Chief Public Relations Officer, Kitty Chingota
* The upgrade involves adding a second conductor to the transmission line making it a twin conductor line
* Thereby increasing the power transfer capacity by 7 megawatts to meet power demand increase around Kasungu
By Peter Kanjere, ESCOM PRO
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited announces its plans to upgrade its Serengeti-Mtunthama 66kV power transmission line to meet growing electricity demand in Kasungu and some parts of Mzuzu and Ntchisi.
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ESCOM Limited Chief Public Relations Officer, Kitty Chingota made the announcement, saying works to upgrade the transmission line, which supplies power to the three districts, will run from April 7 to July 17, 2024.
“The upgrade involves adding a second conductor to the transmission line making it a twin conductor line, thereby increasing the power transfer capacity by 7 megawatts to meet power demand increase around Kasungu,” Chingota said through a statement on Wednesday.
She added that the works will necessitate power supply outages in most parts of Kasungu and some areas in Ntchisi and Mzimba, as the line will be switched off every Saturday for 10 hours during the four months of the upgrade.
The areas to experience the outages every Saturday from April 7 include Mtunthama, Kamuzu Academy, Kasungu, Shayona Cement Company, Nkhamenya, Malomo, Wimbe, Chamama, Liwerezi, Mabulabo, Chinkhoma, Chatoloma and Ntchisi.
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The three districts are among the hubs of tobacco farming and also boast manufacturing companies such as Shayona Cement Company based in Kasungu.
The upgrading of the power line is part of ESCOM Limited’s endeavour towards ensuring a more robust and reliable transmission network in the country to increase electricity access which currently stands at 12 percent.
The mandate of ESCOM Limited, which was established under the Companies Act of 1984, is to procure, transmit and distribute electricity to the country and beyond.
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