Maputo, Mozambique, 9 April – Mozambican electricity company, Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) plans to invest over 27 billion meticals (US$1 billion) over the next five years to improve the quality of electricity supplied to consumers, Mozambican newspaper Notícias reported.

The paper said that the investments was part of the activities included in the contract-programme signed with the government for the 2010/2014 period and cited Energy Minister Salvador Namburete as saying that the amount did not include investment in power plants.

During a parliamentary session for the presentation of the government five year plan for 2010-2014, Namburete noted several specific activities that aimed to improve the quality of electricity, namely the expansion of the IT systems to record faults, identify and introduce better systems for protection against atmospheric discharge, as well as improving and repairing medium and low voltage transmission lines.

Alongside this, the minister said, there would also be a focus on repairing sub-stations and increasing the capacity of transformation posts in residential areas, computerising the management of the distribution network, introduction of new technologies, such as using low consumption light bulbs and using regulators to reduce drops in voltage and minimise variations in electric current. (macauhub)