The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has begun replacing ageing wooden transmission poles with prestressed concrete poles under a $6.3 million (about K11 billion) investment aimed at improving electricity reliability and cutting maintenance costs.
The project is also expected to reduce vandalism that has been costing the utility billions of kwacha annually.
The project covers the 66kV Mapanga-Fundis Cross transmission line, which serves the tea-growing districts of Thyolo, Mulanje and Phalombe, and the 132kV Nkula B-Phombeya No. 1 transmission line, a key corridor that evacuates electricity from the Nkula hydroelectric power station to the national grid.
During a media tour of the Mapanga-Fundis Cross project in Mulanje on Monday, Escom officials said the replacement of wooden poles with the concrete poles would provide a more reliable transmission network capable of lasting more than 80 years.
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Escom Chief Public Relations and Communications Officer Pilirani Phiri said some of the wooded poles had to be replaced after just five years, causing the corporation to spend more towards maintenance.
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“This project will ensure greater reliability of electricity supply, especially for industries operating along this stretch. With durable concrete poles there will be less maintenance and replacement, meaning we will spend less on repairs,” Phiri said.
He added that the project will also help tackle vandalism which is one of the utility’s biggest challenges.
“By replacing these lines with concrete poles, it ensures that we are also fighting vandalism on the other side. Because it’s difficult for people to ransack or vandalize concrete poles,” he said.
The investment comes at a time when ESCOM estimates that vandalism of electricity infrastructure costs the corporation about K3 billion every year in replacement of damaged or stolen equipment.
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Government has also indicated that vandalism has delayed implementation of the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP), with infrastructure worth about K2 billion vandalised since 2024.
Engineer Isaac Kunkeyani from the project’s consultant Infrastructure Project Planners, said the new poles would significantly improve the durability of the transmission network.
“Wooden poles are vulnerable to wildfires, termites, people stripping or cutting them and natural ageing, which eventually leads to collapse. Prestressed reinforced concrete poles provide a much stronger structure that can remain in service for more than 80 years without replacement,” Kunkeyani said.
He said the consultancy’s role is to ensure that both the design and construction meet the required standards.
“So far we have erected 38 structures out of the 304 that will be installed on the Mapanga-Fundis line. Most of the work before construction involved manufacturing the poles, and that process has now been completed,” he said.
The project contractor Sawa Group through its representative James Munyui said work on the ground is progressing well, with the installation works expected to be completed by December.
“We started delivering the poles last year and installation began last month. By yesterday we had erected 38 structures and we are targeting to complete the works before the rains begin, around late November or early December,” Munyui said.
Apart from strengthening electricity transmission, the project is expected to generate wider economic benefits, with the contractor expected to establish Malawi’s first prestressed concrete pole manufacturing plant, creating about 200 local jobs, and reducing dependence on imported materials.
The corporation says the Mapanga-Fundis Cross transmission line upgrade will cost approximately US$3.3 million, while the Nkula B-Phombeya No. 1 project is valued at about $3 million.
The corporation intends to extend the concrete pole project to other parts of the country, starting with the Nkhotakota-Nkhata Bay transmission.
