The launch of a major regional e n e r g y p r o j e c t i n t h e Democratic Republic of Congo is one of many initiatives to ensure sustainable supply of energy in the SADC region.

The Western Power Corridor Project (Wescor) includes a 35,000- megawatt hydropower station at the Congo River’s Inga Falls, which is expected to supply power to Angola, Botswana, the DRC, Namibia and South Africa initially, and later to the rest of the region.

Joao Caholo, SADC Supervisor of the Infrastructure and Services Directorate told a media conference during the last SADC Summit in Mauritius that the five countries have initiated the US$7.3 billion project to boost power supplies in line with diminishing generation capacity especially in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

The summit also received from its member states, energy projects for capacity expansion for 2005 – 2010 and up to 2020. SADC countries are exploring strategies to ensure sustainable energy supply, including power projects meant to complement traditional sources of energy such as thermal and wood fuel to sustain growing populations and economies.

Inga is the largest single hydropower initiative in the world and at full capacity is expected to surpass Mozambique’s Cahora Bassa, currently among Africa’s biggest hydroelectric stations producing an estimated 2,500 megawatts.

Fani Zulu of the South African power utility company ESKOM, says the Inga project’s objective is to provide “low cost, affordable and environmentally friendly energy and to ensure that economic development in the region is not constrained by shortages in energy capacity.”

This is in response to projections that diminishing power generation capacity in the region may lead to major constraints if no major investment in power generation is made by 2007.

The SADC Executive Secretary, Prega Ramsamy, says the region needs to take urgent action to address the power generation capacity constraints through fast tracking short-term priority power generation projects under the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Member states have also been urged to streamline development planning with the implementation of short term priority power generation in addition to exploring alternative sources of power such as renewable energy.

SAPP, which was formed in 1995, brings together power utilities of 13 SADC member states. Its primary aim is to provide cheap and reliable supplies of power and to regulate cross-border electricity transmission and trade.

Caholo says the major focus has been on increased energy trading under SAPP and the establishment of regulatory institutions to reform the region’s energy market to allow for the increased participation of other stakeholders and attract investment.

SAPP has set up the Short Term Energy Market (STEM), coordinated by the Zimbabwe-based SAPP Regional Office, whose objective is to reduce energy prices among SAPP members. Power utility companies in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe are trading under STEM, which will see new interconnection transmission lines along the SAPP network that will extend regional electricity trading.

The interconnections will also link Malawi and Tanzania to the regional electricity grid while allowing countries to import power from other SADC countries.

The SADC I nfr a s t ruc tur e Directorate is undertaking studies to develop a Renewable Energy programme of Southern Africa, which seeks to increase access to renewable energy technologies.

Research into the use of natural gas reserves, nuclear options, wind and solar power and small diesel or petrol generators has been initiated. Nearly half of Africa’s power is currently generated from coal.

Lovemore Chilimanzi of SAPP says while renewable energy sources such as solar is a minor source, they need to be tapped for regional markets.

“We want to see southern Africa developing into a truly regional market. We also want to be a region of choice for investment by energ y investors,” he says.

The regional energy projects are coordinated at continental level by NEPAD, whose primary role is to promote, facilitate and monitor the development of regional infrastructure activities.

NEPAD has developed a short term action plan on infrastructure for implementation between 2003 and 2007. SADC, among other regional economic communities, has submitted a list of projects based on agreed criteria within NEPAD’s objectives of strategic partnership and promotion of economic integration on the continent.

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