The commissioning date for the Mozambique–Malawi Power Interconnector (MOMA) project remains uncertain as Malawi waits for Mozambique to complete construction of the tallest transmission tower across the Zambezi River.

Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Chief Public Relations and Communication Officer, Pilirani Phiri, says Malawi has completed about 99 percent of the works, attributing the delays to post-election conflicts in Mozambique and the demolition of the project camp.

“Malawi has completed nearly all of its part of the project, but the delays are on the Mozambican side due to post-election issues and the demolition of the project camp. Almost 99 percent of the project is done on our part,” Phiri told Zodiak.

Energy expert Kossam Munthali says it is time for Lilongwe and Maputo to return to the negotiating table to resolve the underlying issues affecting the project, noting that the “99 percent completion” status has been cited for an unusually long period.

“Both governments need to return to the drawing board to address the underlying challenges affecting the project,” Munthali said.

The 218-kilometre, 400-kilovolt high-voltage transmission line links the Matambo Substation in Mozambique to the Phombeya Substation in Balaka, and is expected to feed 50 megawatts into Malawi’s national grid. 

For the first five years, Malawi will tap 50MW at an estimated cost of K7.8 billion per month, following a revision from the earlier plan to import 120MW at about K17.4 billion per month.

Earlier, the government had announced that the MOMA project would be commissioned in December 2025 or January 2026 after missing the initial October deadline.