Government of Malawi announces the awarding of the construction works for the electricity transmission line, which will link Mozambique to Malawi, from the province of Tete.

The announcement, was made by Malawi's energy ministry spokesperson Obile Kamoto Laly.

The contract was awarded to two companies: the first will be in charge of the execution of the works, and the second will be responsible for the inspection.

A spokeswoman for the Malawi energy ministry who did not give details assured that the government will soon make a statement on the subsequent steps of the electricity interconnection project between the two countries.

The connection to be made from the Matambo substation in the district of Marara in Tete to Phombeya in the district of Balaka in Malawi, comprises 218 kilometers of line, of which 145 are in Mozambican territory and the 73 complementary ones in Malawian territory.

This project was conceived 23 years ago with the signing in 1998 of a memorandum between Mozambique and Malawi. However, various problems have delayed the interconnection.

With the announcement of the hiring of the construction contractor, Malawi will for the first time be linked to the cooperation congregation of national power companies in Southern Africa under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community.

The work, which will consume about 130 million dollars, will ensure the supply of 400 kilovolts of electricity, which will double from 11 to 22%, the capacity of electricity supply in Malawi.

It should be noted that in April 2019, the Mozambican electricity distribution company EDM and its Malawian counterpart ESCOM signed technical agreements, for power purchase and sale contracts.

Currently, Malawi's electric power is provided by diesel and or charcoal-fired generators, which produce only 367 megawatts of power, compared to the 719MW, which the country needs.