By The Forum

The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) says ongoing load shedding is expected to ease within the next eight months, as the country grapples with persistent power outages affecting households and businesses.

Malawi has in recent months experienced frequent and prolonged electricity cuts, largely driven by supply constraints and system instability.

In a statement issued Monday, ESCOM acknowledged the severity of the situation, saying it is responding with urgency.

“We recognize that the current situation is critical and we are addressing these challenges with the urgency they deserve,” the utility said.

ESCOM attributed the outages to a combination of system instability and slow fault response, noting that electricity demand is currently exceeding available generation capacity. This imbalance has led to widespread load shedding, while restoration times have remained “unacceptably slow.”

The utility has pledged to introduce a more transparent restoration schedule, with clear targets and timelines. It said noticeable improvements in fault response times are expected within 30 days, with full stabilization projected within 60 days.

ESCOM added that interventions to reduce both the frequency and duration of outages have already been rolled out.

“In collaboration with EGENCO, we are performing daily balancing of supply and demand and optimizing all available generation. A structured eight-month rollout of embedded power and battery storage is underway to strengthen the grid,” the statement said.

To improve response times, ESCOM has launched a nationwide fault clearance campaign, mobilized additional technical teams, and deployed managers to fault centers to enhance coordination and dispatch.

“This is a system-wide intervention with immediate effect. We are dedicated to reducing both the frequency and duration of outages through urgent operational improvements and sustained infrastructure investment,” the utility said.

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