MEPA engages public on series of hearings on environmental and social impact assessment construction Mpatamanga hydropower construction along Shire River

* Also encourages public to submit comments and opinions on the project through emails, phone calls or letters to Director General

* The hearings began in Neno on January 13 with final session to held in Blantyre targeting national stakeholders

* Mpatamanga hydro plant’s technical studies are currently underway to inform its final engineering design and prepare the tender documentation

By Duncan Mlanjira

As part of the continuation of feasibility studies towards the construction of Mpatamanga hydropower station along the great Shire River, the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) commenced a series of public hearings as part of its review process for the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) report submitted by Mpatamanga Hydropower Limited.

The proposed Mpatamanga hydropower project, situated on the boundaries of Neno and Blantyre districts, is expected to generate a capacity of over 358 megawatts (MW), which is envisioned on be completed by 2030.

According to Mpatamanga Hydropower Limited website, technical studies are currently underway to inform the final engineering design of the hydro power plant and prepare the tender documentation.

First works of construction of access roads are planned to be undertaken this year with a four-year construction schedule has been estimated for the project.

On its Facebook page, MEPA indicates that the first of the public hearing series in Neno provided an opportunity for the concerned stakeholders and affected communities “to verify the contents of the ESIA report submitted to the Authority as well as allow stakeholders and the general public to voice their concerns, share opinions, and highlight any critical issues or omissions in the report”.

“Additionally, this process is designed to promote transparency and accountability in the Authority’s decision-making process regarding the project, ensuring that all perspectives are considered and that the determination process is open and inclusive.”

The stakeholders involved were communities from Neno and Blantyre, who are living in and close to the proposed project site, and the meetings were also to raise awareness of the importance of Mpatamanga hydro power plant — whose generated electricity will be delivered to the grid and is expected to enhance energy security in the country.

Thus, ahead of the final physical meeting in Blantyre targeting national stakeholders, MEPA is encouraging the public to submit comments and opinions on the project through emails, phone calls or letters to Director General:

Email: dg@mepa.mw; phone: (+265) 986 184 292 / 882 415 163 and postal address: The Director General, Malawi Environment Protection Authority, Private Bag 317, Lilongwe. Toll free line (TNM): 5153.

MEPA is obliged by the laws of the country to conduct thorough assessments on projects before approval of their implementation. The Environment Management Act (2017), section 30, guides the authority to call for a public hearing on ESIA Report of projects of national interest.

The Mpatamanga project

Meanwhile, Mpatamanga Hydro Power Limited is a special purpose vehicle established in 2022 to develop, finance, construct, own and operate a hydropower project on the Shire River at Mpatamanga Gorge under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model — with Malawi Government owning a 30% shareholding.

The project, according to: http://www.mpatamangahydro.com, capitalises on the advantages of a PPP, eliminating the constraints on public resources, while at the same time fostering economic growth in the region.

The Mpatamanga hydro power plant is expected to generate electricity by harnessing the power of flowing water and the change in elevation of the Shire River through two dams, in series, along the river, located between two existing hydropower facilities.

The main dam will be built across the river to store water and create a reservoir and to generate electricity, the stored water will be released in a controlled manner from the reservoir (during peak electricity demand) flowing downhill, due to gravity, through large tunnels into the main power station.

The main dam (55m high) on the Shire River will create a 20.2 km² main reservoir at full supply level, with a total storage volume of 272.5 million m3 (out of which 58 million m3 of active volume – used in electricity generation).

Water from the main reservoir will drop by approximately 66m through underground 2x 900m long tunnels to a 301MW powerhouse located 1km downstream of the main dam.

The water discharged from the main powerhouse into the Shire River (installed capacity of 550 m3/s) will then flow into a 1km² (total 11 million m3 / 8 million m3 of active volume) regulating reservoir created by a 45 m high regulating dam located 6 km downstream of the powerhouse on the Shire River.

Water from the regulating reservoir will then be discharged into the Shire River through a 57 MW powerhouse located at the foot of the dam (installed capacity of 388 m3/s).

From the upper part of the main reservoir (close to Tedzani hydropower plant) to the regulating dam, the project footprint will extend over 29km of river length.

Energy generation

Mpatamanga  will have a generation capacity of 358MW, composed of the two plants — the 301MW peaking plant at the main dam and the 57 MW regulating downstream plant at the regulating dam.

The project is aimed to contribute to reducing energy shortages and enhancing energy security in Malawi. The 309MW plant with its main reservoir storage is designed to provide much needed energy during peak demand hours of the day and contribute to the overall national grid stability with its ability to ramp up or down production to meet actual demand.

Transmission

The electricity generated by the project will be delivered to the grid through two transmission lines — a 64km long 400kV transmission line from the main powerhouse to the existing Phombeya Sub-Station; and an 11.4km long 132kV transmission line that will connect the regulation dam powerhouse to the existing Tedzani-Kapichira transmission line.

Mpatamanga hydro power plant project is being developed by Mpatamanga Hydro Power Limited in coordination with Ministries of Energy, Finance and other relevant government departments.

The project lies between the existing, Nkula, Tedzani and Kapichira hydropower schemes — with Nkula being the oldest, commissioned in the 1960s, whose Nkula A has capacity of 36MW of three 12MW units.

Nkula A was the first major hydroelectric power station built in Malawi in two phases, with the first phase completed in 1966 and the second involved major overhaul of the power plant and expansion of capacity from 24MW to 36MW.

Nkhula B was also built in stages in the 1980s-1990s with the first three power generators of 20MW each installed in 1980 and another 20MW generator added in 1986 — with the fifth 20MW turbine installed in 1992.

Tedzani Power Station was also developed in stages, with the first phase Tedzani I, completed in 1973 and the most recent, Tedzani IV, which achieved commercial commissioning in May 2021 to make it Tedzani I-IV — with a generating capacity of 111.7MW).

Kapichira Hydro Power Station in Chikwawa is the most recent that was commissioned in 2000 with two generation units of 64.8MW and a further two units also of 64.8MW were added in 2013 as Kapichira Phase II — contributing 129.6 megawatts on the national grid.