Likoma & Chizumulu Solar Power Plant

People of Likoma and Chizumulu Islands now have uninterrupted power supply following President Chakwera’s bold decision to transition generation from generators to solar.

Solar has now become the main source of power for Likoma and Chizumulu islands following the commissioning of 1.3MW solar power plants for the islands by the Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited (EGENCO) in November, 2020.

This project includes a 1.3 MW solar component—1 MW allocated to Likoma and 0.3 MW to Chizumulu—and a 1.8 MW diesel backup system.

Solar has replaced diesel generators, which for decades had been the main source of power for the two islands. The generators will now only serve as back up. The company has reduced costs as it was spending MK13 million every month on fuel to run the diesel generators.

The implementation of this hybrid system has significantly improved power availability on the islands, increasing electricity supply from 14 hours to a full 24 hours daily