Integrated Energy Plan

The Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) for Malawi outlines a geospatial strategy to achieve universal electricity access by 2030. The plan identifies a need to grow from 750,000 current household connections to 5.5 million by 2030, utilizing a mix of grid densification, grid expansion, mini-grids, and solar home systems (SHS). The report emphasizes the need for lower-cost rural construction standards and international competitive bidding to reduce the significant financing requirements for the national grid.

• To reach universal access by 2030, Malawi must increase its electricity connections from approximately 750,000 households in 2022 to 5.5 million households, requiring an average growth rate of 607,567 connections per year.
• The 2030 universal electrification scenario relies primarily on the grid, with 42% of new consumers connected via grid expansion and 22% via densification of the existing ESCOM network. Off-grid solutions will account for 26% of the plan, split between standalone solar (19%) and mini-grids (7%).
• The financing requirements for the base case (Business as Usual) are estimated at $3.63 billion. This cost can be reduced to $2.52 billion if the government adopts low-cost design standards for rural electrification combined with international competitive bidding (ICB).
• The plan identifies 1,688 potential mini-grid sites. While 72% of these sites have solar plant sizes of 30 kW or less, larger mini-grids are more cost-competitive, with connection costs of $1,032 compared to $1,355 for average-sized mini-grids.
• Public facility electrification targets for 2030 include 7,123 schools and 1,058 health facilities. For schools, 3,123 are planned for the ESCOM grid and 2,422 for standalone solar; for health facilities, 869 are planned for the grid and 53 each for mini-grids and standalone solar.
• The adoption of electric cooking (e-cooking) is projected to increase energy demand, with eligible households growing from 92,000 to 522,000 by 2030, and total energy use for e-cooking rising from 184 GWh/year to 1,099 GWh/year.
• Affordability is a significant barrier for off-grid services. Tier 2 Solar Home Systems (SHS) can exceed $25/month, which exceeds the willingness to pay (WTP) in all three surveyed regions, indicating a need for subsidies for low-decile customers.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (n.d.). Integrated Energy Plan. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-04/Malawi%20IEP%20-%20Electrification%20Report_FINAL_compressed.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Integrated Energy Plan. n.d. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-04/Malawi%20IEP%20-%20Electrification%20Report_FINAL_compressed.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Integrated Energy Plan |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-04/Malawi%20IEP%20-%20Electrification%20Report_FINAL_compressed.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforallndintegrated, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Integrated Energy Plan}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-04/Malawi%20IEP%20-%20Electrification%20Report_FINAL_compressed.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }