New Grid Agreement Clears Path for Malawi's 50MW Solar Plant

Malawi has taken another step to improve electricity supply after the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) signed a new agreement that will allow power from a planned solar plant to reach the national grid.

The Transmission Connection Agreement, signed on 26 June 2026 with Press Energy Limited (PEL), will support the delivery of electricity from a 50-megawatt solar power plant at Nkhoma in Lilongwe District. The project is expected to help increase electricity available to homes, businesses and public services.

Power projects need more than a generating plant before electricity can reach consumers. They also require transmission lines that connect new power stations to the national grid. Without such links, electricity produced cannot be supplied to users.

Under the agreement, Press Energy Limited, a subsidiary of Press Corporation Limited, will build the transmission line needed to move electricity from the solar plant into ESCOM's network. The deal follows the Power Purchase Agreement both parties signed in December 2024, which cleared the way for the solar project.

Partnership aims to improve electricity supply

ESCOM said the latest agreement is another step in its plan to improve electricity supply and reduce load shedding. The corporation has been working with Independent Power Producers to increase electricity generation as demand continues to rise.

ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, Eng. William Kaipa, said the agreement supports the promise the corporation made earlier this year to improve power supply within eight months. He said every new project that joins the national grid brings Malawi closer to achieving that goal.

Kaipa said the partnership would also create more opportunities for businesses and support national development through better electricity supply.

Press Corporation Limited Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ronald Mangani, welcomed the agreement and thanked ESCOM for completing the process quickly. He said the company invested in the energy sector because it wants to help improve the lives of Malawians and support the country's economic development.

Mangani said the solar project would strengthen Malawi's electricity generation capacity, improve energy security and support future economic activities.

The project is expected to become one of the new renewable energy sources that will feed electricity into Malawi's national grid after construction of the transmission connection and the solar plant is completed.