Malawi commissions first standalone utility-scale BESS project
Commissioning Malawi’s new BESS facility (Image source: Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet)
Malawi has commissioned the country’s first standalone utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) — a landmark 20 MW / 40 MWh installation located in Kanengo, Lilongwe
The project brings together state utility, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited, together with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, a nonprofit founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation and Bezos Earth Fund,which provided US$20mn in grant financing.
The project is intended to help stabilise the national grid, reduce reliance on diesel generation and lay the foundation for a more resilient and reliable energy system.
William Kayipa, CEO of ESCOM, said the launch represents more than the switch-on of a battery system: it marks the moment Malawi's grid became smarter, stronger and future-ready.
“For years, grid instability forced us to curtail renewable energy we had already generated and to fall back on costly diesel at the expense of our consumers and our climate commitments,” said Kayipa.
“The Kanengo BESS changes that calculus entirely. By storing and deploying power instantaneously, we are stabilising feeder voltages, reducing system losses, and unlocking about 100 MW of renewable generation that was previously constrained.”
He continued: This is not just an engineering achievement, it is the foundation for ESCOM's transformation into a financially viable, high-performing utility capable of supporting Malawi's target of 70% electricity access by 2030.”
Malawi’s electricity grid has long faced systemic challenges, including instability, high levels of renewable energy curtailment, dependence on hydropower as well as a dependency on diesel back-up generation.
The new facility will avoid over 10,000 tons of carbon emissions per year while improving energy access for households, commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors, and critical public services and ensuring resilience to climate shocks.
As part of the Global Energy Alliance BESS Consortium — a global initiative to scale battery storage across low- and middle-income countries — the project demonstrates how storage can be deployed to strengthen grid performance and build a pipeline of investable storage assets across emerging markets.
“Malawi has demonstrated that Africa does not have to choose between energy access and clean energy transition,” said Woochong Um, CEO, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
“This is the Global Energy Alliance’s biggest BESS milestone in Africa to date, and we are proud to have delivered it in partnership with the Government of Malawi and ESCOM. It is proof that catalytic philanthropic capital, when deployed strategically, can de-risk transformative infrastructure and inspire far greater investment at scale.”
The Malawi project forms part of the Alliance's Grids of the Future initiative, which leverages digitalisation and distributed energy integration to leapfrog ageing infrastructure and build a resilient, future-ready power system.
Rather than treating storage as a standalone technology, the facility reflects a strategic shift toward integrating BESS as core grid infrastructure, enabling more flexible power systems and modernising market design.
It is also an opportunity to unlock a new revenue stream for Malawi through ancillary services, providing a critical foundation for long-term economic growth and market development as the region scales its renewable energy capacity.
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