Electricity + Control October 2016

A SENSE OF AFRICA

In this day and age of connectivity, no one

should be living without electricity. It has

become an essential part of living in the

century and those without electricity

do not have the same socioeconomic

advantages as those who do.

tudies show that access to electricity

has a positive effect on poverty and

can increase efficiency, improve health,

promote economic growth and boost

competitiveness.The poor are least likely

to have access to electricity, and the more

they are disconnected or not connected to

the grid, the more likely they will remain

poor. It is a never ending cycle of overlook-

ing the vital role connection to the electric-

ity grid plays in enhancing people’s lives.

Extending days with access to light-

ing allows communities to have more

time to study, work and play, advancing

a country’s capabilities, productivity and

effectiveness. Heating, refrigeration and

modern cooking facilities are all enabled

by electricity. Having access to electricity

could mean saving time and energy to

focus on productivity. Agriculture could

receive a boost withmodern farming tech-

nologies that save time, increase harvest

and yield. Access to electricity also means

an improved and reliable healthcare

system for the wellbeing of the citizenry.

In 2013, it was estimated that approxi-

mately 17% of the world population

did not have access to electricity. In sub-

SaharanAfrica, electrification rate in urban

areas is approximately 60%, whereas

rural areas are only at 14%.

According to the World Bank data,

Malawi – the landlocked country located

in southern central Africa – provides less

than 10% of its population with access to

electricity. With more than 70% of Ma-

lawians living below the income poverty

lines of less than US$1,25 per day, the gov-

ernment through the Malawi Growth and

Development Strategy II is investing in key

strategic areas to stimulate the country’s

economy. Recognising the importance of

energy in economic development of the

country, Government has put energy as

one of the key priority areas.

In this respect, the Government of

Malawi is working towards increasing

generation capacity by rehabilitating the

oldest power station, Nkula A, as well as

expanding, upgrading and rehabilitating

the country’s backbone transmission net-

work and the transmission and distribution

network for an efficient power system. One

of the key strategic partners in improving

Malawi’s Energy sector is the Unites States-

fundedMillenniumChallenge Corporation

(MCC) which gave theMalawi Government

a US$350,7 M grant for the Power Sector

Revitalisation Program, managed and

supervised by Millennium Challenge Ac-

count – Malawi (MCA-Malawi).

As a result, the Malawi Government,

through the MCA-Malawi, engaged GE

Grid Solutions business to design, sup-

ply and install the Supervisory Control

and Data Acquisition (SCADA) to assist

engineers in real time remote monitoring,

planning and optimisation of ESCOM’s

transmission systems spread over the

country. This is will help to help create a

modern and efficient power grid.

Malawi, the ‘warm heart of Africa’

Lying to the east of Zambia, west of Mo-

zambique and south of Tanzania, Malawi

is divided into three regions, Southern,

Central and Northern, and has the third

largest lake in Africa, Lake Malawi. Ag-

riculture contributes more than a third

of the country’s Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) and generates more than 90% of

total export earnings. Often referred to

as the ‘warm heart of Africa’, Malawi’s

population of approximately 16 million is

well known for their warmth and hospital-

ity. The United Nations ranked Malawi’s

social and economic development at 173

out of 188 countries in its 2015 Human

Development Index, and according to

the World Bank last year, Malawi is the

poorest country in the world.

Most of the power generation plants

inMalawi are hydro-powered and located

in the south along the Shire River – where

close to 50% of the population reside,

making it the most densely populated

region – and approximately 40% live in

the more fertile, lush lands in the central

region near the capital city of Lilongwe.

Yet today, more than 90% of Malawi’s

population still do not have access to the

electrical grid and the same percentage

live on less than US$ 2 a day. Recognising

this uphill battle, the Government of Ma-

lawi has launched several campaigns and

programs to help Malawi embark on the

journey out of poverty and into economic

development. One of the organisations

working to improve the country’s economic

growth is the MCA-Malawi.

MCA-Malawi

MCA-Malawi, a Government entity, was

established in 2011 to implement, man-

age and supervise the US$350,7 Million

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

Compact for investment in the energy

sector. MCA-Malawi’s purpose was to

implement activities that will revitalise

the power sector. This includes invest-

ments in three key areas: Infrastructure

Development, Power Sector Reform and

Environmental and Natural Resources

Management. Each project, with different

roles to play, has underlying objective – to

stimulate economic growth and play a part

in reducing poverty in Malawi.

Powering Malawians with a better life

Malawi – the landlocked country

located in southern central Africa

– provides less than 10% of its

population with access to electricity.

Armand Pineda, GE Grid Solutions

Electricity+Control

October ‘16