The World Bank has approved a total of $57 million (about K41. 2 billion) for the Mozambique-Malawi Regional Interconnector Project.

A press statement released in Washington said the project will interconnect the Mozambique and Malawi transmission systems to enable both countries to engage in bilateral and regional power trade in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

SAPP is a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Southern Africa under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Reads part of the statement: “Its main undertakings include the construction of a 218 km, 400 kV high voltage alternating current transmission line, grid connections, and associated infrastructure including substation works.

“With these investments, Malawian households, businesses, and farmers will benefit from increased access to reliable electricity services that are vital to improve the country’s productivity and competitiveness in the domestic and regional markets.”

The line will start at Matambo substation in Tete Province, central Mozambique, and ends at Phombeya substation in Balaka District in Malawi.

World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Bella Bird, said the project will address Malawi’s challenges.

“The project seeks to address Malawi’s sectoral challenges, including chronic electricity supply deficits and ensures security of supply as well as reliability and affordability of electricity through imports from Mozambique and, in the future, other SAPP members,”

This project will fund Malawi’s first interconnection to the SAPP, which has been a priority since the early 2000s with several attempts to translate to reality.