Malawi energy mix & electricity
Power plants in Malawi produced 1.8 TWh of electricity in 2024. Hydropower provides 92.4% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.
Electricity generation by source in 2024
Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.
| Source | TWh | Share | 10-yr Δ pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 1.69 | 92.4% | +1.6 |
| Oil | 0.08 | 4.4% | −1.2 |
| Bioenergy | 0.05 | 2.7% | 0 |
| Solar | 0.01 | 0.5% | −0.4 |
| Total | 1.83 | 100% |
Malawi: electricity in context
Power plants in Malawi produced 1.8 TWh of electricity in 2024. That puts it in the same league as Guam. Hydropower provides 92.4% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.
Renewables supplied 95.6% of the electricity, which ranks Malawi 13th of 158 countries (in the top quarter). That is 62 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for Africa (24.7%). The carbon intensity of electricity is 55 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. That makes it one of the cleanest power grids anywhere. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Malawi is 14th of 158.
Meanwhile hydropower lost the most ground, down 280 GWh. The net effect: renewables gained 1.2 percentage points of share since 2014. Total generation shrank by 340 GWh over the same period.
Coal has essentially never been burned for electricity here: its share has stayed below 1% throughout the record.
Wind and solar have barely started in Malawi: combined, they produce less than 1% of the power.
Generation per person is 85 kWh a year, 2% of the world average of 3,860 kWh. Imports and exports roughly cancel out.
How the power mix has changed
Electricity generation by source since 2000. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.
Renewables and carbon intensity
Malawi against the world and Africa averages.
Total energy: beyond electricity
Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Per person, that is 525 kWh a year (world: 21,654).
Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.
Power plants in Malawi
The 5 power plants recorded in Malawi add up to 0.4 GW of capacity, 93% of it Hydro. The largest is Kapichira at 128 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.
Largest power plants
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity MW | Commissioned | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kapichira | Hydro | 128 | — | — |
| 2 | Nkula | Hydro | 124 | — | — |
| 3 | Tedzani Falls | Hydro | 92 | — | — |
| 4 | Chichiri (Blantyre) | Gas | 16 | — | — |
| 5 | Nchalo Mill | Biomass | 10 | — | — |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 5 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: Malawi
20 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 104 MW of solar and 0 MW of wind operating, plus 355 MW under construction or planned.
How does Malawi compare?
Malawi next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.
| Country | Renewable % | Low-carbon % | Fossil % | gCO₂/kWh | kWh / person | Generation TWh | Mix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malawi | 95.6% | 95.6% | 4.4% | 55 | 85 | 1.8 | — | |
| Mozambique | 83.4% | 83.4% | 16.6% | 129 | 571 | 19.8 | Compare | |
| Zambia | 87.5% | 87.5% | 12.5% | 120 | 925 | 19.7 | Compare | |
| Tanzania | 32.9% | 32.9% | 67.1% | 345 | 129 | 8.8 | Compare | |
| Zimbabwe | 57.1% | 57.1% | 42.9% | 384 | 617 | 10.3 | Compare | |
| Burundi | 75.5% | 75.5% | 24.5% | 184 | 35 | 0.5 | Compare | |
| Rwanda | 49.6% | 49.6% | 50.4% | 354 | 79 | 1.1 | Compare | |
| Africa average | 24.7% | 25.5% | 74.5% | 544 | 635 | 962 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for Malawi
Malawi energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in Malawi is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in Malawi?
How clean is the electricity in Malawi?
Does Malawi have nuclear power?
How much electricity does Malawi use per person?
How much solar power does Malawi produce?
Does Malawi import electricity?
More countries in Africa
Sources & references
- Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
- Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
- World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity
Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2024. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.