SADC energy ministers reaffirm commitment to power generation

SADC ministers of energy have called for investors from within and outside Africa to invest in generation and transmission infrastructure.

This follows projections that the region’s surplus capacity of electricity might run out in 2007 if no new investments are made in the region. The SADC ministers of energy met in Windhoek last week to discuss, among other things, the diminishing generation surplus capacity and the status of power generation in the region.In the last 10 years, the SADC electricity demand has been increasing at a rate of about three per cent per year.There, however, has not been corresponding investment in generation to meet the rising demand.The energy ministers, however, reaffirmed their commitment to support generation and transmission projects in the region.Addressing a press conference at the close of the meeting on Friday, Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy, Nickey Iyambo said the SADC ministers would support the creation of an enabling environment for both private and public investors to invest in the generation and transmission infrastructure.”Whilst they support the principles of affordable and competitive energy prices, the ministers commit to embrace the principle of cost reflective tariffs and to adopt regulatory principles in their respective countries that would enhance those tariffs,” Iyambo said.He said the ministers noted that the region was endowed with sufficient resources of gas, coal, hydro and renewable energy and had extended invitations to both the private and public sectors to invest in the region.Iyambo said the meeting had briefly discussed the West Corridor and Inga Projects, adding that there were some logistics which needed to be ironed out before the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by countries involved.Last year, NamPower formed a power supply company, Western Power Corridor (Westcor), with Eskom in South Africa, Botswana Power Corporation, Empresa Nacional de Eletricidade of Angola and Societe Nationale D’Electricite of the Congo.Westcor is to establish a power system across the five countries and to incorporate power generation, transmission and telecommunications.Westcor wants to harness the hydro-electric power from the Inga Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Initially the Inga project would harness between 3 000 megawatts and 5 000 megawatts, or 10 per cent of the total potential, which would be transmitted over 3 000km to member countries.Later phases would develop the project towards its 39 000 megawatts potential.The 39 000MW would meet the demand for electricity throughout Africa.At the beginning of the two-day meeting last week, the 15th executive committee meeting of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) held discussions and made recommendations, which were then presented to the ministers.SAPP executive chairperson and NamPower managing director, Dr Leake Hangala said the challenge for SAPP was to keep up pace in providing new generation capacity with the rising demand in the region.The SADC energy ministers mandated Minister Iyambo to lead the delegation to the SADC summit in Mauritius in August and present to the SADC heads of states the issue of diminishing generation surplus capacity in the region.Countries represented at the meeting included Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, South Africa, Malawi, DRC, Lesotho and Mozambique.The SADC ministers of energy met in Windhoek last week to discuss, among other things, the diminishing generation surplus capacity and the status of power generation in the region.In the last 10 years, the SADC electricity demand has been increasing at a rate of about three per cent per year.There, however, has not been corresponding investment in generation to meet the rising demand.The energy ministers, however, reaffirmed their commitment to support generation and transmission projects in the region.Addressing a press conference at the close of the meeting on Friday, Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy, Nickey Iyambo said the SADC ministers would support the creation of an enabling environment for both private and public investors to invest in the generation and transmission infrastructure.”Whilst they support the principles of affordable and competitive energy prices, the ministers commit to embrace the principle of cost reflective tariffs and to adopt regulatory principles in their respective countries that would enhance those tariffs,” Iyambo said.He said the ministers noted that the region was endowed with sufficient resources of gas, coal, hydro and renewable energy and had extended invitations to both the private and public sectors to invest in the region.Iyambo said the meeting had briefly discussed the West Corridor and Inga Projects, adding that there were some logistics which needed to be ironed out before the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by countries involved.Last year, NamPower formed a power supply company, Western Power Corridor (Westcor), with Eskom in South Africa, Botswana Power Corporation, Empresa Nacional de Eletricidade of Angola and Societe Nationale D’Electricite of the Congo.Westcor is to establish a power system across the five countries and to incorporate power generation, transmission and telecommunications.Westcor wants to harness the hydro-electric power from the Inga Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Initially the Inga project would harness between 3 000 megawatts and 5 000 megawatts, or 10 per cent of the total potential, which would be transmitted over 3 000km to member countries.Later phases would develop the project towards its 39 000 megawatts potential.The 39 000MW would meet the demand for electricity throughout Africa.At the beginning of the two-day meeting last week, the 15th executive committee meeting of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) held discussions and made recommendations, which were then presented to the ministers.SAPP executive chairperson and NamPower managing director, Dr Leake Hangala said the challenge for SAPP was to keep up pace in providing new generation capacity with the rising demand in the region.The SADC energy ministers mandated Minister Iyambo to lead the delegation to the SADC summit in Mauritius in August and present to the SADC heads of states the issue of diminishing generation surplus capacity in the region.Countries represented at the meeting included Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, South Africa, Malawi, DRC, Lesotho and Mozambique.