OUTAGE OF KAPICHIRA POWER STATION DUE TO DAMAGES CAUSED BAY CLONE ANA
The Electricity Generation Company (Malawi) Limited (EGENCO) wishes to inform the public and all stakeholders that due to the Cyclone Ana which hit Malawi and most Southern African countries on 24th January2022, Kapichira Power Station dam structure is damaged
Tropical Storm Ana brought constant heavy rains that caused flooding in most parts of the Southern Region. Due to the flashfloods, there was extensive damage to the dam and its appurtenant structures. The Training Dike and the Fuse Plug for main dam are completely washed away resulting in the flow regime of Shire River to change from flowing around the tip of the dike. The flow is now through the dam fuse. The change in the flow regime introduced secondary currents/flows parallel to the main dam that further eroded part of the main dam. Damage also occurred on the downstream of main dam slopes.
Aside the permanent structures, the flooding washed away heavy machinery on the dike and containers where the dredger was docked.
Because of the aforementioned damage, the station is unable to generate power. This means 129.6 megawatts of power generated from Kapichira Power Station (about 32% of EGENCO’s generation Capacity) is not available to the national grid.
Our team of engineers and experts are working tirelessly to bring back generation as soon as possible. We will keep the public informed on the restoration efforts.
EGENCO sincerely regrets any inconveniences caused.