Repair works on Kapichira Dam commence, despite fuel challenges-Egenco

Malawi: Repairs to the Kapichira 2 Dam, which was damaged by Tropical Cyclone Ana in January of this year, have begun.

The Electricity Generation Company-public EGENCO's relations officer, Moses Gwaza, confirmed the news to AfricaBrief.

At the height of the power outages, EGENCO Chief Executive Officer William Liabunya told the media at a press conference in Lilongwe in August that the government had secured funds for the repair work, which would begin on September 24 and end on December 22 this year.

Gwaza claims that the work began two weeks ago with the construction of a coffer dam, a structure that helps engineers work on the actual dam.

“I can confirm that works on the Kapichira dam have commenced, we started two weeks ago with the construction of a coffer dam around the mouth of the damaged plug to redirect water and create space for the engineers to work on,” said Gwaza.

However, he added that the recent fuel shortage in the country had an impact on the work because some machines could not be used due to a lack of diesel.

“As every other sector we were also affected by the fuel scarcity because some machinery is diesel-powered but we had discussions with MERA and NOCMA officials who came to appreciate the challenges. We have now sorted out the issue and fuel is being supplied,” he added.

The Kapichira Hydro Power Station, Malawi's main source of power, generates 129.6 megawatts, but it has been without power since January of this year due to cyclone damage to its machines.

The government obtained a 60 million dollar loan from the World Bank to renovate and repair the station.

Gwaza believes that two or three machines will be operational by December, as promised.

Malawi requires approximately 618 megawatts of electricity but currently generates slightly more than 250 megawatts.