Mozambique: EDM Targets 420,000 Connections Ahead of Rains

Mozambique’s electricity company, EDM, has created a rapid-response unit to handle damage from natural disasters ahead of the country’s rainy season.

The publicly owned company announced the new unit in Maputo on Thursday as it also set a target of making at least 420,000 new electricity connections by the end of 2026.

The new connections are expected to give about two million people access to electricity across the country. The announcement came as EDM marked its 49th anniversary.

EDM Chairman, Joaquim Henrique Ou-chim, said the rapid-response unit had been established only weeks before the rainy season, which runs from October to April.

The decision comes after the company recorded losses of $2.3 million during the last rainy season. It also required $9.3 million to repair electricity infrastructure damaged during that period.

Ou-chim said the company was also dealing with vandalism of electricity infrastructure and electricity theft as it works towards universal access.

"As for what lies ahead, it is precisely to continue creating the conditions for universal access, of course, whilst once again combating the vandalism of infrastructure and the theft of electricity. The company continues to implement measures to meet the government's target of universal access to electricity by 2030", he said.

Storm damage adds pressure on power expansion

The creation of the emergency unit gives EDM a new system for responding to natural disasters at a time when the company is expanding electricity access.

The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy said 22.7 million people, equal to 66.9 per cent of Mozambique’s population, currently have access to electricity.

That figure compares with about 9.8 million people recorded in 2019.

António Manda, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, said the number of beneficiaries had risen by about 12.9 million people in six years.

"The number of beneficiaries over six years increased roughly to 12.9 million. This growth stems from the expansion of the national electrification grid and government efforts to achieve the goal of universal electricity access by 2030", he said.

The expansion is being carried out through the Energy for All Programme, launched in 2018 with the aim of achieving universal electricity access by 2030.

The programme includes expansion of the national grid, as well as mini-grids and solar systems in rural and peri-urban areas.

The government’s 420,000-connection target will add to the number of households and other users already served by the electricity network.

Manda said all 11 provincial capitals and 154 district headquarters are currently electrified.

Work is continuing to bring electricity to administrative posts, with 361 of them already having access.

The figures show that electricity access has risen substantially since 2019, but the government still has a large population to reach before its 2030 goal can be achieved.

That expansion, for EDM, must take place alongside the protection and repair of infrastructure exposed to natural disasters.

Manda recognised the company’s record but said some communities were still waiting for electricity and some consumers were yet to receive the service.

"EDM's track record deserves recognition. But there are still communities awaiting electricity and consumers yet to access a service that is increasingly safe, reliable, affordable, and of high quality", he said.

New connections face a reliability test

The rainy-season preparations are significant because damage to electricity infrastructure carries a direct financial cost for EDM.

The $9.3 million required for repairs after the last rainy season was four times the $2.3 million loss recorded by the company during that period.

The figures also show that expanding electricity access involves more than connecting new users to the network. Existing infrastructure must be protected and restored when natural disasters cause damage.

Ou-chim said the company wanted its provincial directorates to provide services more efficiently and bring them closer to the public.

"We must continue to work with ethics, responsibility, and quality service to respond more efficiently to the needs of consumers and communities", he said, calling on the company's provincial directorates to step up their efforts to bring services closer to the public.

EDM’s connection programme is being carried out under the wider objective of universal electricity access by 2030.

The Energy for All Programme provides the structure for expanding grid electricity and deploying mini-grids and solar systems in areas where grid expansion is being carried out.

The 2026 target will therefore involve additional connections as the company continues work in areas that still lack electricity.

At the same time, the rapid-response unit will have to deal with damage from natural disasters during the rainy period.

The company’s experience from the previous rainy season provides the financial context for the new arrangement. Infrastructure damage required millions of dollars in repairs, creating an additional cost alongside the work of expanding access.

Mozambique now has 22.7 million people with electricity access, compared with about 9.8 million in 2019. The increase has come through expansion of the national grid and the use of mini-grids and solar systems.

The next stage combines new connections with protection of the infrastructure already in place.

EDM intends to make at least 420,000 new connections by the end of 2026, reaching about two million additional people. The company is also preparing its emergency response capacity before the next rainy season begins in October.