Today 6th Sept 2022, The Minister of Energy and Minister of Finance and Economic Development presided over the signing of the Relationship Agreement for the 350MW Mpatamanga Peaking Hydropower Project between the Government of Malawi (GOM), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Scatec ASA’s Hydropower Joint Venture, and Électricité de France (EDF).

This ceremony marks a memorable day in the history of power development in Malawi. The signing of the Relationship Agreement is a huge milestone in the development of the Mpatamanga Hydropower Project as it concludes the procurement process of a private investor – the Scatec and EDF Consortium, which started in January 2020 after the launch of the Request for Proposals.

The 350MW Mapatamanga Peaking Hydropower Project will not only double the installed capacity of hydropower in Malawi, but also improve the power supply security, provide opportunities for increased renewable energy generation capacity in the country and contribute to the controlling of the flow of the Shire River downstream the power plant. The GOM is indebted to its Partners in achieving this milestone which is a major step in the development of The Mpatamanga Hydropower Project will not only provide the much-needed electricity in the country but also lead to the abatement of about 520,000 tons of CO2 annually since it is a renewable energy-based Project.

Downstream of the Shire River, the Mpatamanga Hydropower Project will assure the existing hydropower plants and other water users such as agricultural activities of availability and reliability of water. This flagship Project will contribute a lot to the achievement of the Malawi 2063 Agenda that has identified energy as one of the enablers for social, economic and industrial development.