Increasing Access to Clean and Affordable Decentralised Energy Services in Selected Vulnerable Areas of Malawi

Project Overview

To increase access, effort is needed to develop power plants and mini-grids close to the end users in the rural areas and since financial resources are scarce, investments for new generation can only be leveraged by involving the private sector and social enterprises. Given the more remote locations of many of the communities that need to be served, and the cost reductions in renewable energy technologies, an important vehicle for meeting these targets will be clean energy mini-grids. It is expected that the project will set the stage for mini-grids to play a key role going forward in electrifying rural parts of Malawi, thereby assisting the country in meeting its SE4All targets.

Project Goal

To increase access to energy in selected remote, rural areas in Malawi by promoting innovative, community based mini-grid applications in cooperation with the private sector and civil society.

Project Output

  • Expansion of the Mulanje Electricity Generation Agency (MEGA) Micro Hydro Power Plant (MHPP) and mini-grid scheme.
  • Replication of MEGA model via piloting of new mini-grid schemes in other areas of Malawi.
  • Institutional strengthening and capacity building for promotion of decentralized mini-grid applications across the country.