Malawi has commissioned its first utility-scale battery storage facility, a 20-megawatt system designed to stabilize electricity supplies and expand access to reliable power. The project, located in Lilongwe, is the only utility-scale battery installation in southern Africa outside South Africa and Namibia. Backed by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, the battery will help integrate solar energy into Malawi’s grid, connect an additional 600,000 households, and reduce power outages from about four hours to less than two hours. The initiative comes as Malawi seeks to lessen its dependence on hydropower, which has been disrupted by climate-related shocks, including Cyclone Freddy and reduced river flows linked to El Niño. Officials plan to build three more battery storage facilities as part of a broader effort to increase national electricity access from roughly 25% to 70% by 2030.
Reuters