SANF 08 No 71
Country representatives attending the 20th Session of the African Hydro Symposium held in Zambia have called for African governments to harness its huge hydro-energy potential, as it is cheap and clean.
According to Lawrence Musaba, the Centre Coordination Manager for the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Africa has a combined feasible hydro-capacity of more than 1,750,000 gigawatts (GW) per year, enough to power the whole continent but unfortunately, only 4.3 percent of this has been exploited.
The symposium heard from SAPP and the Regional Electricity Regulators Association of Southern Africa (RERA) that in order to deal with the regional power deficits and stop a further decline in the environment different alternative power sources have to be researched on and implemented.
One such renewable energy source is hydro energy which involves using water to turn turbines, and in turn generate clean and cheap electricity.
With seven major river systems (Nile, Congo, Niger, Zambezi, Senegal, Orange, and Limpopo) Africa holds 10 percent of the world hydro-energy potential, but has so far exploited only a small part of its capability, the symposium heard.
RERA stressed that climate change, the quest for cleaner energy and Africa’s needs for constant power supply clearly underscore the need to boost investment in the hydropower sector while taking account of broader economic and social concerns.
The symposium, which aims at sharing experiences between government and the private sector, is intended to pool resources and step up regional cooperation in the energy sector among African countries.
At the opening ceremony, Zambia’s Energy and Water Development Minister, Kenneth Konga, appealed for the reinforcement of cooperation amongst countries of the region, with the aim of strengthening cohesion towards regional energy development.
Debates at this year’s conference covered topics such as the energy shortage in the region, an evaluation of progress to the current projects, plans to come up with a single power pool for the continent, lessons and challenges of new energy technology and sharing of experiences, among other issues.
Before the conference, a panel of regional utilities was assembled to review the key questions relating to water and energy resource exploitation, financing, and environmental and social impacts.
The panel’s report noted that hydropower has been financed traditionally by public funds and therefore recommended the involvement of the private sector as the continent is facing a shortage of public funds.
The panel also called for the development of mini-hydro stations that have the potential of supplying cheap energy to rural communities.
The panel further recommended that to reduce costs, extend access and ensure supply available on sustainable basis, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) should help national utilities and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to develop proper policy framework, pricing and tariff environment, improve managerial and technical capabilities and improve existing hydro plant capacity among other aspects.
Officials from the African Development Bank (AfDB) also attended the symposium to provide a useful input to the ongoing review of the African Energy Policy, and subsequently, the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy strategy.
The AfDB president, Donald Kaberuka said the pooling of resources and stepping up regional cooperation is a must since without it, African countries cannot provide energy services at least cost to compete effectively with other nations.
The sub-region is endowed with significant natural energy resources but unfortunately, little transformation from primary to secondary forms has taken place to improve access to modern energy services by the majority of people.
The distribution range and concentration of natural energy resources is localised. Biomass resources are plenty in the equatorial region and a belt along the coast of West Africa all the way to Gambia.
Hydropower is plenty in eastern and southern Africa where availability of adequate rainfall and relief creates the basic natural potential for exploitation of cheap hydropower.
For instance, North Africa has 23 percent of the continent’s hydro-power while West Africa has 25 percent, with southern and eastern Africa 52 percent.
Examples of major hydro projects in southern Africa include the Inga hydropower station in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of which construction of phase three is expected to start in 2009 at a total cost of US$3.6 billion.
The launch of the giant Inga hydro-project is one of several initiatives planned bythe Southern African Development Community (SADC) to ensure sustainable energy supply in a region that has faced persistent power shortages since 2007.
The Inga Falls project is believed to be the largest single hydropower initiative in the world and, when operating at full capacity, is expected to surpass Mozambique’s Cahora Bassa.
Cahora Bassa is currently one of Africa’s biggest hydroelectric stations, producing an estimated 2,500 MW.
The DRC has a vast hydropower potential of more than 100,000 MW. About 44,000 MW of that is found at the Inga Falls and over 56,000 MW at other sites scattered across the country.
Other hydropower projects in southern Africa include Kariba – shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Kafue Gorge in Zambia, Kidatu in Tanzania, Maguga in Swaziland and the Bethlehem power project in South Africa among others.
