COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES
attending the
20th Session of the African
Hydro Symposium held in
Zambia have called for
African governments to
harness its huge hydroenergy
potential, as it is
cheap and clean.
According to Lawrence
Musaba, the Coordination
Centre Manager for the
Southern African Power
Pool (SAPP), Africa has a
combined feasible hydrocapacity
of more than
1,750,000 gigawatts (GW)
per year, enough to power
the whole continent but
unfortunately, only 4.3
percent of this is being
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 of the environment,
alternative power
sources have to be
researched and exploited.
One such renewable
energy source is hydro
which involves using
water to turn turbines,
and generate clean and
cheap electricity.
With seven major river
systems (Congo, Limpopo,
Niger, Nile, Orange,
Senegal and Zambezi)
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 into
account broader environmental,
economic and
social concerns.
The symposium, which
aims at sharing experiences
between governments
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.
Discussion at this
year's conference covered
topics such as the energy
shortage in the region, an
evaluation of progress on
current projects, plans to
move establish 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.
Hydropower is plentiful
in eastern and southern
Africa where availability
of adequate rainfall
and relief creates the
basic natural potential for
exploitation.
North Africa has 23
percent of the continent's
hydro-power, West Africa
has 25 percent, while east
and southern Africa have
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 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, currently one of
Africa's biggest hydroelectric
stations, producing an
estimated 2,500 MW.
Other hydropower projects
in southern Africa
include Kariba (shared by
Zambia and Zimbabwe),
Kafue Gorge in Zambia,
Kidatu in Tanzania,
Maguga in Swaziland, and
the Bethlehem power project
in South Africa, among
others.
