The interconnection works between Mozambique and Malawi have reached 85% completion and are expected to be finished by December, assured Joaquim Henriques Ou-chim, Chairman of the Board of Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM). The project aims to integrate Malawi into the Southern African power grid, which the country is not yet connected to.
Previously, the completion on the Mozambican side was scheduled for October. However, the deadline was revised after a four-month halt caused by post-election demonstrations that disrupted the normal progress of the works on site.
“The works will finish this year. By December we will have the project completed so that we can be interconnected with Malawi, one of the Southern African countries that, until now, is not connected to the grid,” stated Joaquim Henriques Ou-chim, during a mining and energy sector meeting.
He added that the progress is visible and that most of the materials are already available. “We are at 85% of the works, and a large part of the materials is already on site, so we are confident that by the end of the year the Mozambique-Malawi line will be completed,” assured the EDM chairman.
In July, project coordinator João Catine explained that the works were focused on concrete foundations and assembly of metal structures. However, security incidents and attacks on engineers forced some personnel to relocate abroad, temporarily halting activities. During the post-election demonstrations, acts of vandalism destroyed machinery and stole iron intended for tower construction and conductor cable installation. The damage was estimated at $3.5 million (221.2 million meticais), which prevented the construction of at least 80 towers on schedule.
Due to these difficulties, it became necessary to restart the ordering and manufacturing process for equipment abroad, which extended the waiting time for towers and conductor cables. On the Mozambican side, the project plans the construction of 337 towers, essential for transmitting electricity to the neighboring country.
Budgeted at $154 million (9.7 billion meticais), the project is financed by the World Bank, the German Bank, and the European Bank. Once completed, the power line will add 120 megawatts to Malawi’s grid, strengthening regional energy integration and boosting the economic development of both countries.
Source: Notícias
