Cláudio Dambe, director of Electrification and Projects at Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), said that the authorities are working closely with the Indian contractor hired to carry out the work on the high-voltage transmission line, with a view to speeding up the current pace of work.

According to the newspaper Notícias, Cláudio Dambe acknowledged that, until recently, the progress of the works was worrying, which led to the creation of an action plan to reverse the situation. “At the moment, we have technicians on the ground assessing what has actually been done, and I believe we will have the results in the next few days,” said Dambe.

The same source acknowledged that the delays were not only in Mozambique, but also on the Malawi side. However, he stressed that the situation is more serious in the national territory. “There is indeed a delay in Malawi, but in Mozambique the length of the line is twice as long as in the neighboring country and the contractor is the same, which is why the problems on the other side of the border are also occurring here,” explained Dambe. He also mentioned that the delays on the Mozambican side are not entirely attributable to the Indian contractor, due to the initial need to hire a specialized company for demining and to negotiate the crossing of the line through an area reserved for mining.

The first assessment of this plan will be made in a few days, later this month, with preliminary results expected soon.

It should be remembered that the foundation stone for the construction of the high-voltage transmission line between Mozambique and Malawi was laid in November 2021. Due to initial delays, work only began in March 2023.

“The high-voltage line between Mozambique and Malawi will be 560 kilometers long, 280 in each country. This infrastructure will allow the interconnection of the electricity grids of the two countries and the export of surplus energy from Mozambique to Malawi,” reads the news report.

Valued at 381.5 million dollars, the high-voltage line is financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank (WB). The project aims to increase access to electricity in the region, promoting economic and social development in both countries.

Accelerating the works is a priority for EDM and the partners involved, who recognize the importance of the infrastructure for energy integration and sustainable development in the region.

The terrorism that has plagued some areas of the districts of Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, is making it difficult to meet the government’s rural electrification target, which is to light up the entire national territory by 2030. The information was published on Monday, July 22, by the news portal Carta de Moçambique.

According to Alexandra Links, general manager of Engie Energy Access, the company involved in the solar-powered rural electrification project, violence in the region has prevented the company from expanding its services to Cabo Delgado. “We have been operating in the country since 2019 and are present in more than 50 districts and in all of Mozambique’s provinces, with the exception of Cabo Delgado. We pay a lot of attention to security issues,” said Links.

In addition to terrorism, Alexandra Links highlighted other challenges that hinder the goal of rural electrification. Among these challenges are the dispersion of the rural population, the inability of communities to pay for services, the lack of tax incentives and the insufficient telecommunications infrastructure to support the mobile money payment model.

Since 2019, Engie Energy Access has invested more than 1.2 billion meticais (20 million dollars) across the country, reaching more than 230,000 families, which corresponds to around 1.2 million people, mainly farmers and small businesses. The company employs more than 200 full-time professionals in areas such as sales, marketing, customer service, product diagnostics and logistics.

“Our vision is to prioritize rural electrification and meet the goal of universal access to energy. This journey has not been easy, but it has been incredibly rewarding. We are a leading player in the Mozambican solar market, providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy solutions for homes, businesses and infrastructure,” concluded Alexandra Links.

With the rural electrification target threatened by terrorism in Cabo Delgado, the situation raises concerns about the ability of the government and the companies involved to achieve the goal of lighting up the whole of Mozambique by 2030. The authorities and partners are challenged to find solutions to guarantee security and enable the expansion of electrification services in the affected areas, thus allowing more Mozambicans to have access to sustainable energy.