Escom Accused of lying to Malawians on power prices

Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi has been accused of lying to the public on the power prices as the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change chairperson Welani Chilenga Agenco has disputed the claim by the company’s Chief Executive Officer Kamkwamba Kumwenda that the company buys power at K140 per kilowatt per hour (kwh), the nation reports.

Speaking at the press briefing in Blantyre on a week ago, the Company Chief Executive Officer Kamkwamba Kumwenda claimed that Escom is currently buying electricity from producers at K140 per kilowatts per hour and selling the power to end-user consumer at K104 per kilowatts per hour and The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi and Power Market Limited had proposed a 99 per cent electricity tariff increase for the four year period.

The proposal which was been submitted to the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority and had applied the increase of the tariff to be effective October 2022 to October 2026

The two power utility companies had asked the immediate adjustment to K187.98 per kilowatt per hour from the current K104 per kilowatt per hour and later be increased to K249.15 per kilowatt per hour in 2025/26.

But according to the reports by the National Publication Limited, the claim made by the Energy Supplying company is not true.

Welani Chilenga said Escom is buying electricity at an average of K59.2 per kwh and not K140 as Kumwenda said earlier.

“It is not true that Escom is buying power at K140 per kwh and selling the same at K104 per. I was wondering where Escom is getting its figures.

“Escom is buying power from Wovwe at K18.61, Tedzani at K25.37, Kapichira at K29.37, Nkula A at K30.30, Nkula B at 47.74, JCM Salima K87.48, JCM Golomoti at K106.10,Mulanje Hydro K128.90 which at Average it is ringing at K59.2 per kwh,” said Chilenga.

He added that the 99% tarrif hike proposed by Escom will not be approved as they lying to Malawians.

Agenco has concurred with Chilenga saying that Escom buys power at between 18 and 24 per kwt and not K140 that Kumwenda claimed at the briefing.

In October 2018, Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority approved a 31.88 percent Escom base tariff covering the period between 2018 and 2022.