A joint parliamentary committee has pleaded with Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) not to hike electricity tariffs. 

Y-Biz understands that the company is pushing for a 36 percent hike to invest in what it calls power generation.

“We are moving towards cost reflective tariff to reflect the cost of production which will enable us to invest in power generation and also to supplying reliable and sufficient power,” said Marvin Mchenga, Egenco’s Assistant Public Relations Officer.

But reacting to the proposal, the joint Committee on Natural Resources and Climate, Public Accounts, Legal Affairs, Trade and Industry through its co-chairperson Welani Chilenga has pleaded with Egenco not to hike electricity tariffs citing that people are already sailing through unbearable economic challenges.

“We have requested them as a committee that we are not comfortable with a tariff increase of 36 percent, Malawians are going through hardships, there are austerity measures which government has put in place now.

So these austerity measures and the challenge the country is going through shouldn’t spare any organisation, they shouldn’t spare any Malawian,” Chilenga said.

Egenco said it will address the Committee on its plea.

“We have heard the Committee and their plea that they made to us, we will come back to them with a response,” Mchenga said.

According to the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera), average electricity tariff remains K104.46 per kilowatt hour.

Last year, MERA Board determined that based on performance Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) qualified for 4.17 percent instead of 10 percent tariff adjustment and that the increase was pended.

A final determination on the implementation of the fourth tariff tranche is yet to be made.