Malawi: Malawi Bets On Battery Storage to Climate-Proof Its Fragile Power Grid

What the report says

Malawi has commissioned its first standalone utility-scale battery energy storage system in Kanengo, Lilongwe, in a move aimed at strengthening a power grid that has been repeatedly disrupted by droughts, floods and cyclones. The project was developed by the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), according to Inter Press Service, which reported the story via AllAfrica. The facility is a 20-megawatt, 40-megawatt-hour system designed to store electricity and release it when demand spikes or supply falls.

The article says the battery system is intended to help stabilise the national grid, reduce reliance on diesel backup generation and make better use of renewable power that has previously been curtailed. GEAPP’s Carol Koech said the project followed cyclones Anna and Freddy, which exposed weaknesses in Malawi’s hydropower-heavy electricity system and contributed to prolonged blackouts affecting businesses, hospitals, schools and households.

Beyond immediate grid support, the project is presented as part of Malawi’s broader effort to expand electricity access and strengthen climate resilience. The report says improved power reliability could support agriculture, manufacturing and small businesses, while also helping the country work toward its target of 70 percent electricity access by 2030. It also notes that Malawi’s location in the Southern African Power Pool could make a more stable grid important for future regional electricity trade.

GEAPP said the project is backed by a $20 million catalytic grant and is expected to unlock about 100 megawatts of renewable electricity that had been curtailed, while avoiding more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.