Integrated Analysis of Operator Response Capacity, Energy Policy Support and Infrastructure Robustness in Power Grid Resilience Under Severe Weather Events: Lessons from Malawi

With the multidisciplinary complexity of resilience challenges, holistic evaluation and enhancement have been the main concerns in resilience research. This paper addresses this gap by demonstrating the integrated analysis of operator response capacity, energy policy support and infrastructure robustness using Malawi’s cases. The three individual case studies were pooled, focusing on integrating their resilience indicators, identifying the resilience weaknesses and mapping their interdependencies to inform holistic integrated, holistic enhancement measures. A nuanced understanding of resilience was achieved by integrating indicators based on their respective capacities (preventive and anticipative, absorptive, adaptive, restorative and transformative) across the three resilience dimensions (operator, policy and infrastructure). Mapping relationships between indicators revealed crucial interdependencies and was essential for understanding the complex relationships that underpin resilience. This resulted in development of an integrated resilience framework (IRF) which provides guidelines for comprehensive and inclusive resilience evaluations, especially for weak and underdeveloped grids. The structure of the electricity supply and institutional challenges are at the centre of Malawi’s resilience challenges, aggravated by the non-implementation of the energy policy, which results from, among other reasons, political interference and financial constraints. The paper provides integrated solutions to the identified resilience challenges.