MAREP Phase 8 Meets Requests From Legislatures

• The project began in 1980s to promote economic activities for rural trading centres 

• MAREP 8 Target to electrify 81 Trading Centre’s and dditional 60 Centre’s For Step Down Transformers

Hon Msaka

The Malawi Rural Electrification Project (MAREP) phase 8 begins later this year, Government says areas prioritized for electrification includes those that were requested by members of parliament and local contractors will implement the project.

Phase 8 ending in December, 2016 targets a total of 81 trading centre’s, three rural trading centre’s per each district (Know target areas here and full statement)

Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Hon Bright Msaka told news conference in Lilongwe on Thursday that approximately 60 to 70 trading centre’s passed through by the power lines will also get Step Down Transformers.

The total project cost is estimated to K12.1billion against K8.3 billion for MAREP 7.

“In my responses to requests from Members of Parliament, I have been telling them that their requested sites were either already planned to be implemented in this Phase 8 or are in the MAREP Master Plan, ready for implementation in later phases.” said hon Msaka

“I would like to assure that this phase, will answer most requests from members of parliament. But many others will have their requests answered in upcoming phase” he assured

The Natural Resources, Energy, and Mining Minister explained that criteria used to identify the beneficiary trading centre’s was robust and from Rural Electrification Master Plan.

He also said the criteria further took cognizant of district’s; size and population, rate of electrification and number of trading centre’s demanding for electricity.

“Every centre that is within the 81 centre’s under MAREP phase 8, there is no dispute whatsoever that the merit and deserve to be electrified. And therefore the selection process is both robust and sacrosanct.” He said

Additionally, Hon Bright Msaka indicated, 60 to 70 trading centre’s will benefit from Step Down Transformer programme. He said this shall mean, each district will have two more trading centre’s electrified.

He said consultations are being done to identify those step down trading centre’s and assured that similar robust identification process will be done.

Among other considerations, he clarified “These 60 to 70 drop down centre’s, will not be on the basis of the equality per district but, will be on the demand and equity depending upon the size of the population per district”

Hon Msaka further mentioned that local contractors will be engaged to implement the project because they have achieved efficiency in previous phases. He added that materials will also be procured locally.

MAREP began in 1980s with an aim of promoting economic activities in rural areas. However, demographic, geographic and economic disparities pose a huge challenge to the successful implementation of the programme.

Malawi is failing to meet its growing demand for electricity because currently it has installed capacity of 351.75 Mega Watts against the demand of 800 Mega Watts. The country’s electricity rural penetration is at 2 percent while the national average is 9 percent.

But Msaka said Malawi is determined to meet SADC region average of 39 percent in 5 years time and that Government is committed to increase electricity capacity through involvement of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) who will generate electricity and inject it into the national grid through Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ESCOM.

Know target areas here and full statement)