Mpatamanga will comprise two cascading generating stations – an upper main peaking plant with an installed capacity of 306 MW and a lower 59.6 MW regulating hydropower station, around 6 km downstream, complete with separate substations and two transmission lines. The cascade will be located between the existing Tedzani and Kapichira stations on the Shire River, southern Malawi.
The project, which will more than double Malawi’s current installed capacity, is expected to help reduce energy shortages and enhance energy security. The main plant with its reservoir storage is designed to provide peaking power and overall grid stability with its ability to ramp production up or down to meet demand. The Mpatamanga Hydro Power Project (MHPP) is to be financed, built, and operated on a Public-Private Partnership basis by a consortium of France’s EDF Power Solutions and SN Malawi comprising TotalEnergies, British International Investment (BII) and Norfund with the Government of Malawi and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, under a joint development agreement signed in 2022. EDF and SN Malawi, which jointly own a 55 per cent stake in MHPL, the special purpose vehicle set up to build and operate the project, are the lead developers.
Finance will be provided by the equity partners – using funds from the World Bank – as well as debt from commercial banks and development finance institutions, including the EIB, to be co-ordinated by the IFC.
The project is currently expected to close financing in October 2027 and to be commissioned in 2032.
An initial tender process with three distinct work packages was launched in late 2023 but was cancelled because the financial proposals were too high to enable the economic viability of the project. Based on feedback received from the market and from the previous procurement process, a new procurement framework has been established by MHSP for a single EPC contract covering the whole project scope of civil works, electro-mechanical works and transmission line and substation works. MHSP has also set a ceiling price that will ensure economical affordability. MHSP encourages collaboration with Malawian companies (for instance as subcontractors) for this project. There is no mandatory percentage requirement. However, local content will form part of the rated criteria used to evaluate proposals.
This initial selection process will be open to all eligible firms and individuals as defined in the employer’s Initial Selection Document. MHPL intends to qualify and select between one and three contractors to enter into a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA). Minimum qualification requirements and evaluation criteria are stated in the Initial Selection Document, which include among others, eligibility aspects linked to financial capacity, technical capability (among other key criteria); and Target Price. Initial Selection Document will be made available, in electronic format for free, in the Employer’s virtual data room (VDR). Applicants will be allowed to gain more information via the VDR, i.e., Initial Selection Document, by first sending an email to the following address: MHSP_PCSA_InitialSelection@mhpl.mw.
A Non-Disclosure Agreement shall be accepted before the first access. A video of a non-mandatory pre-application meeting, which was held on 17 September, can be viewed on the project’s website at: https://www.mhpl.mw/index.php/epc/. A site visit will be conducted in Blantyre, Malawi, from 12-15 October. Attendance at the site visit is strongly recommended but not compulsory.
The VDR will open on September 21, 2026. The application submission deadline is listed in the Initial Selection documents and is scheduled for November 13, 2026. Only electronic submission of applications will be permitted. Late applications will not be accepted. Contractor(s) that are not awarded the EPC Contract shall receive financial compensation for the services performed during the PCSA phase.
The amount of such compensation is set out in the PCSA agreement. For further information, contact: Antoine Gerboud, Project director, Tel.: +265 886571773; E-mail: Antoine.Gerboud@mhpl.mw.
