Escom plans K15 billion new office building
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has revealed plans to construct a new office building with over 20 stories estimated to cost over K15 billion.
This came out on Friday when the Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure visited Blantyre’s old Escom building which was gutted by fire in 2013.
Escom Board Chairperson Fredrick Changaya said the company would identify a contractor to demolish the old building and commence construction of a new one before the end of this year.
He said Escom is spending nearly K0.5 billion in rentals in Umoyo House, where some of its offices were moved to after the fire.
“We hope we will run for 2 years to ensure that we have a new building. The plan is to have a high-rise office block that will house all Escom offices in Blantyre so that we have a one- stop office block.
“We are planning to do a Public Private Partnership deal and, within the next four months, we will procure an entity that can develop that, most likely we will do it in the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer mode,” Changaya said.
Chairperson of the committee Uchizi Mkandawire said the visit was meant for the committee to inquire why the delay to demolish the old building a new structure.
“They [Escom management} have also shared with us their plans, which we believe will be realised in the given time,” Mkandawire said.
In 2018, Escom cancelled a K675 million bid for a contract to demolish the building after it was heavily criticised that the cost could have been lower.
