Integrated Energy Plan

The Malawi Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) outlines a strategy to move from 12.5% electricity access in 2022 to universal access by 2030 for an estimated 5.5 million households. The plan proposes a mix of grid-based solutions (64% of new growth) and off-grid solutions (26%), with a heavy emphasis on the Central and Southern regions. It identifies significant financing gaps and suggests that adopting international competitive bidding and low-cost rural design standards could reduce grid expansion costs from $3.1 billion (BAU) to $1.8 billion. The report also assesses the electrification of public facilities, including 1,058 health clinics and 7,123 schools, and examines the impact of e-cooking on future energy demand.

• As of 2022, approximately 3.7 million households (16.6 million people) in Malawi lacked electricity service, with ESCOM and off-grid providers serving roughly 750,000 households.
• To reach universal access by 2030 for a projected 5.5 million households, the plan requires an average growth of 607,567 connections per year, peaking at 1.17 million in 2028.
• The 2030 universal electrification scenario allocates new connections as follows: 42% via grid expansion, 22% via grid densification, 19% via standalone solar home systems (SHS), and 7% via mini-grids.
• Grid expansion costs vary significantly by procurement and design scenario: the Business as Usual (BAU) case is estimated at $3.1 billion, while International Competitive Bidding (ICB) reduces this to $2.1 billion, and low-cost design standards further reduce it to $1.8 billion.
• The geospatial analysis identified 1,688 potential mini-grid sites, with 72% requiring solar plant sizes of 30 kW or less, which may necessitate subsidies to attract private investment.
• Electrification planning for public facilities indicates that of 1,058 health facilities, 869 are already grid-connected, while for 7,123 schools, 3,123 are grid-connected.
• The adoption of e-cooking is projected to increase electricity demand from 184 GWh/year in 2022 to 1,099 GWh/year by 2030, primarily affecting urban and peri-urban areas.
• Mini-grid costs per connection are more competitive in larger systems ($1,032) compared to average systems ($1,355), though tariffs remain significantly higher than ESCOM's subsidized residential rate of $0.064/kWh.

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} }