Towards the end of last year, the small Southern African nation of Malawi suffered the worst fuel crisis in its history. There were long queues at service stations across the country in search of fuel which scarcely came. Business was almost brought to a complete standstill.At the peak of the problem, for the first time, some folks were sleeping at the filling stations for several nights; transport fares went up.Economists calculated that for the month of November alone a loss of K111billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Malawi government initially put the blame on Mozambique for the country’s fuel woes, claiming that fuel was being held up because of congestion in the ports of Nacala and Beira. But this claim was strongly denied by managers of both ports. Mr. Fernando Couto, Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Corridor (CDN), which runs the Nacala port and rail system was quoted saying Malawi “had simply run out of foreign exchange and had even asked to borrow fuel”. Media reports also seemed to corroborate this view. One wonders why the government failed to call a spade a spade in the first place. The good thing is, however, that the situation is now back to normal.
I hope that very important lessons pertaining to the vulnerability of Malawi’s fuel capacity have been learned. Sometime in September 2009, it was reported that Qatari firm will build fuel storage facilities and an oil pipeline from the Indian Ocean Port of Beira to the town of Nsanje, in exchange for contracts for the supply of fuel to the Southern African country. While this is, obviously, great step forward, it will not stop the suppliers from closing the tap in the event that the country fails to pay for their products due to forex shortages. Therefore, it is very important for the country to urgently look for other ways and means in order to ensure that the fuel crisis of 2009 does not rear its ugly head again.
The country should start searching for oil and other hydrocarbon deposits from within the confines of our borders. Because other countries in the region have already discovered hydrocarbons, I am being tempted to think that Malawi has these natural resources as well. For in stance, with the discoveries of hydrocarbons in Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, Kenyans have intensified the search for oil.They believe that they now standing at the door; it is only a matter of time before they discover their own hydrocarbons.
The country must also push for alternative fuels. As of now, the two promising alternative fuel that can be pursued more easily are ethanol and biodiesel.I have written extensively on using ethanol to fuel petrol driven cars.The ethanol driven vehicle project has been around for sometime now; its results have been very good. In addition to that, kits for converting petrol driven cars to flex-fuel type, which can use pure ethanol, pure petrol or any combination of the two fuels in a single tank, are readily available on the market. Now what remains is for the government to give directions on how the country will start implementing flex-fuel type vehicles.
Way back in 2007, when I first heard about the ethanol driven vehicle project in Malawi, I was of the view that Malawi was just re-inventing the wheel because Brazil, which has a vast experience in this technology, had already done what Malawi was trying to do. I, therefore, asked the office of the Director of Science and Technology to just send some folks to Brazil for training on Ethanol propelled vehicles and see how they could implement the same in Malawi. To which, he responded by saying that it was not easy to send people to Brazil for training. He further said that they even allocated some funds during the 2006/07 financial year for an officer from Lilongwe Technical College to go to Brazil, but it did not materialize because he could not get the invitation letter for him to process the Visa. Since that time, we have seen the Brazilian ambassador designate to countries in the region attending the launch of a flex-fuel vehicle imported from Brazil for the ethanol driven vehicle project.
Last year, someone, no less than the President Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika himself, went to Brazil for a three-day state visit, during which Malawi and Brazil signed a joint framework for technical cooperation between the two countries. Under the framework, Malawi would cooperate with Brazil in agriculture, energy, mining, trade, sports and technology transfers with particular reference to renewable energy. This gives Malawi an opportunity to advance the issue of flex-fuel type vehicles with the urgency that it deserves. The onus is on Malawi to learn as much as possible from Brazil about this technology. Let 2010 go down as a year when the country introduced ethanol pumps side by side with petrol and diesel pumps at some filling stations in the country. Government has to give licenses to some automobile dealers entrusted with the conversion of petrol driven cars to flex-type. The benefits are immense!
The country’s two ethanol plants in Dwangwa and Nchalo which produce a combined annual ethanol output of 17.8 million liters, but each of the plants has a design capacity of 16 million liters per year.The country’s annual consumption is between 80 and 90 million liters. Currently, ethanol is used mostly for blending with petrol (at 10% of ethanol to 90% of petrol), though some is used for industrial purposes, such as in pharmaceuticals. This shows that at the current production levels has excess ethanol, which can be used locally as fuel in motor vehicles. It has been reported that it is also possible to produce ethanol at full capacity by the two companies because there is room for expansion of sugarcane fields at Dwangwa, Nchalo and Kasinthula to produce more sugar that will result in more molasses for more ethanol. While ethanol may not totally replace petrol, it will go a long way in reducing the state’s petrol budget thereby saving the much needed forex. The use of ethanol for fuel will increase demand for sugarcane. Expanded sugarcane farming will offer employment opportunities to Malawians. Other Malawians will get additional employment in the sugar as well as the ethanol processing and marketing chain.
I have also written about jatropha, a source of biodiesel, which can help to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported fossil diesel. While Zimbabwe commissioned the first biodiesel production plant, valued at US$80 million way back in 2007, biodiesel production in Malawi is still in its infancy. Sometime in 2008, it was reported that a consortium comprising Netherlands-based TNT Group and some African investors was preparing to set up a $12-million biodisel production plant in the capital, Lilongwe. It was announced that Malawi was expected to start producing biodiesel in 2009. Come 2009, there was nothing on the ground.
When I asked a Malawian investor, who was expected to be one of the key people in the project, he told me that there was nothing happening in Malawi; the last communication he had with the other guys was an inquiry of the diesel pump price in Malawi which he gave them. In October, 2009, it was reported that Malawi was considering creating two new biodiesel plants to diversify energy resources; no reference was made to the earlier $12-million biodisel production plant announcement. The Ministry of Energy and Mines only said that the country should be able to mass-produce biodiesel by the end of the year (2009). We are now in 2010 and I have not heard anything about mass production of biodiesel in Malawi.Government must refrain from making sensational announcements which do not tally with what is happening on the ground; people want to see real progress.
On the other hand, in January 2009, Air New Zealand successfully completed the first commercial aviation test flight powered by the second generation biofuel jatropha, sourced from South Eastern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania) and India.I am wondering why the local media did not publish this sweet news. I would like to know the Malawi-based company which supplied this jatropha. I would also like to know the extent of its operations in Malawi. I am sure it is one these small scale biodiesel producers. If someone has more information on this issue, please feel free to share it with me. This further confirms the potential of jatropha in Malawi. The other good thing about biodiesel is that it can be used in any diesel engine with little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system. Apart from jatropha, biodiesel can also be made from cotton seed, soya beans, sunflower seed, cooking oil and animal fats.
While ethanol and biodiesel cannot replace fossil fuels completely, it is important for the Malawi government to step up its efforts in the adoption of these alternative fuels. If the country had flex-fuel vehicles and biodiesel plants during the fuel crisis last year, the problems that rocked the country would have been reduced to some extent. Therefore, let us make 2010, a year of tremendous progress in the adoption of alternative fuel!
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16 users commented in " Let’s make 2010 a year of tremendous progress in the adoption of alternative fuels in Malawi "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWhy only Malawi, I think that the entire world needs to very quickly move over to alternative and renewable sources of energy which should also be non polluting. A lot of work has already been done, but just the necessary push from vested interests to counter the emergence of these sources is blocking rapid move in this direction.
Nicole Price´s last blog ..Cheap Stocking Stuffers
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I really love your effort in putting this information out there. I never realized the issues with the fuel woes there. We definitely need more people like you who try to change the world for the better! Keep it up!
Ashley´s last blog ..Hard Concrete Brushes
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Ethanol, eh?! Here are two questions from a Canadian:
(1) It is strange to read that a country whose people have recently endured famine would consider converting foodstocks to fuel;
(2) Many Canadians are reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which reports the great need electricity and drinking water in rural areas.
William Hayes´s last blog ..The Best of The Sunday Star, Dec 27, 2009
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Clement Nyirenda says:
January 9th, 2010 at 8:01 am
Here are my answers to the two questions:
(1)You miss my point completely. Did you read my post by the way? Malawi already has excess ethanol (produced from cane molasses) which can be used as fuel in flex-fuel vehicles. By the way, Malawi’s staple food is made from corn, which is not used to produce ethanol. On jatropha, you may wish to know that it can be planted in low and high rainfall areas and even places with degraded soil where corn wouldn’t do well. Apart from jatropha, biodiesel can also be produced from cotton seed, sunflower seed etc. which are not even edible. Therefore, there is no food stocks vs biofuel conflict in Malawi. The other thing that you have to know is that the famine that you are referring happened way back in 2001 or so and it was basically not due to the fact that food stocks were used for fuel, but rather due to drought. You may also wish to know that in the past five or six years, the country has had surplus food, some of which is being exported to the likes of Zimbabwe. For more justification on why the country should push for alternative fuel, you may wish to refer to http://nthambazale.com/2007/03/jatropha-farming-in-malawiany-progress/ and http://nthambazale.com/2007/08/justification-for-ethanol-propelled/
(2) The fact that “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” reports that there is a great need for electricity and drinking water in rural areas does not imply that those are the only major problems in Malawi. The issue of Malawi’s over dependence on imported fuels and the impact of the same on the economy is also a major problem. But you will agree with me that it does not fall under the scope of “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”.
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William Hayes says:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:10 am
Thank you so much for your helpful answers.
Yes, I did read your post (which is very informative) and realize that you are talking about cane–>ethanol and not corn–>ethanol. Your point that cane can be grown in low-rainfall areas was helpful for me.
My concern is with the perception of your proposal in the minds of North Americans. Here, the principal source of ethanol is corn. We should not be converting our corn foodstocks to ethanol, but that is what has been proposed and is being supported by powerful interests. I would not like Malawi’s cane–>ethanol production to be used to support proposals for corn–>ethanol production in Canada and the US, but fear that it will be so used.
On the famine:
(1) Well, 2001 is not ancient history to me.
(2) Droughts can lead to crop failures, but need not lead to famine. The extent to which the Malawi government of the day failed to act, even to the extent of denying that there was a famnine was horrific.
(3) Income disparity in Canada is bad and getting worse, but not to the extent that those at the bottom starve.
It is both necessary and amazing that Malawi is pursuing fuel alternatives. It would not surprise me to learn that Malawi is leading Canada in this effort–economics externalizes many important considerations, doesn’t it.
Some of us in Canada look hopfully to you in Malawi for leadership in social and economic justice arising from a better balance between urban and rural life and living. That is why I am reading your blog!
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Clement Nyirenda says:
January 17th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I agree with you using corn for bio-fuels is unethical. I am glad because there are companies such as Fulcrum are looking at intelligent ethanol sources. Last year, there was a 2009 Waste-to-Fuels Conference & Trade Show. I am sure there are more groundbreaking works going on in the use of trash to generate ethanol and other bio-fuels in North America.
On famine, yes, 2001 is not ancient history. But the bottom line of my argument was that that famine had nothing to do with using foodstuffs for bio-fuels. And as you put it, droughts in Malawi are not supposed to be leading to famine. We have the third biggest lake in Africa and many rivers which flow all the year round. Efforts are being made on irrigation but I do not think that they are massive enough. The country is still heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture. This has to change.
With vast oil reserves in Alberta, can Canada pursue alternative fuels? I think you guys are content with those oil riches.
Good to hear that you look to us for leadership in social and economic justice. But we still have a very long way to go. There is still much more that we have to learn from Canada. The good thing is that, courtesy of the information revolution, the world has really opened up now such that kids in Malawi can easily learn new things more easily and much faster, a thing which our forefathers never imagined.
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William Hayes says:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:38 am
Just a postscript as a result of reading the IRIN story about the potential danger of cholera in Karonga, site of recent earthquakes:
Some of Malawi’s problems in this decade are clearly beyond what most people in Canada can imagine. It is my hope that you will deal with them in ways that are better than what we would do: I mean find a better balance between fuel for commerce and industry, on the one hand, and food and shelter for people, on the other.
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Clement Nyirenda says:
January 17th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
That’s true. A balance between fuel for commerce and industry ,and food and shelter is necessary. That is why we want the government to clarify its policy on bio-fuels as we go into 2010.
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It’s hard to convince gov’t to use alternative fuel because of lobbyists and such. Money talks.
Lo´s last blog ..SEO Company
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I’ve learned a lot by reading your post and comments tonight. By the way, I used to study with some people in Malawi via snail mail a few years ago. I commend your country for helping Zimbabwe with their drastic food needs.
Brian H.´s last blog ..Lawmakers, Protestors, Media Converge on 2010 Detroit Auto Show
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Clement Nyirenda says:
January 17th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Are you from Zimbabwe?
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Such a big blog in recent time. Alternative fuel will be a good thought but the one ruling the world is petroleum manufacturers. They are fixing everything and they are dumping new technologies(alternative fuel). All countries must for a community and act accordingly.
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Your mentioned that Malawi and Brazil have signed a technical cooperation agreement. This encouraged me to learn about the production of ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil.
As I understand it, the long-ago sugar boom in Brazil turned into a bust as the land of the Northeast lost its fertility through overuse and as other countries in the region began growing sugar. Presumably, it is now once again cost-effective to grow sugar in the exhausted, infertile fields of the Northeast because the end-product is no longer refined white sugar for export to Europe, but the gasoline substitute ethanol for use in Brazil.
Canada is somewhat like Brazil: our economies are to a great extent dependent on commodity exports. The economy of Brazil is afloat today in part because of the Chinese demand for iron ore and soya beans. Similarly, the economy of Canada floats in part on U.S. demand for the oil sands in north-western Canada. In the past, Brazil exhausted its soil to grow sugar for export to Europe. Today Canada is exhausting its reserves of natural gas to extract oil sands for export to the U.S.
You want Malawi to develop alternative fuels like ethanol for use within Malawi, just as Brazil is doing. Since Canada, however, is extracting oil sands principally for export to the U.S., it may be that very little long-term good for Canada will come from what we are doing.
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Clement Nyirenda says:
January 29th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
But what is the Federal Government in Canada doing to prepare for the future when the oil sands in Alberta will have been depleted? How will the economy remain afloat?
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William Hayes says:
February 10th, 2010 at 2:18 am
A good question. Businesses plan and prepare for the future; don’t governments need to do that, too?
The Conservative Government of Canada believes that the private sector will do all the planning that is needed and that the role of government is to clear the way for business to act as it sees fit…!
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Supporting all types of alternative fuels or biofuels is going to be good for us all in the long run. It’s about time all government agencies got their act together and really started assisting us in doing this.
Great information and well written so I found it easy to read. Thanks
Paul´s last blog ..The New Prius is Larger – Yet Gets Better Fuel Economy?
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