Malawi experienced a nationwide electricity blackout on Wednesday evening after the country’s power utility reported a shutdown of the national electricity system, interrupting supply across the country.
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) said the system shutdown occurred at 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, as its technical teams began investigations to determine what caused the disruption.
In a notice to customers, ESCOM said, “We have experienced a system shutdown,” and assured the public that further information would be provided once the cause of the incident had been established.
The utility did not immediately indicate when power would be restored or identify the specific issue that resulted in the system shutdown.
ESCOM is responsible for the procurement, transmission and distribution of electricity across Malawi.
The latest blackout occurs against the backdrop of ongoing challenges within Malawi’s electricity sector, including supply limitations and infrastructure constraints.
The utility has previously resorted to scheduled load shedding programmes as a means of managing electricity shortages and balancing available supply with demand.
The nationwide disruption could affect households, businesses and essential public services that depend on the national grid, although the full extent of the impact was not immediately known.
ESCOM urged customers to remain patient and await additional updates as its technical teams continued efforts to establish the cause of the shutdown and assess the situation.