‘COMMERCIAL’ ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION UP 30%

MBABANE - Total electricity consumption, measured in volume unit sales grew by 2.6 per cent to 1 131.3 gigawatt hours (GWh) in the 2019/20 financial year

It was recorded at 1 102.8 GWh in the previous year. 

This is as per the 2019/20 Annual Economic Review Report which provides the broader economic context on the global and domestic economy. 

increased

According to the report recently released by the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE), electricity consumption by the ‘domestic’ and ‘commercial’ categories increased by 4.1 and 30.2 per cent, respectively.

“Sales to the ‘irrigation power and bulk’ category declined by 3.7 per cent,” reads the report.

Meanwhile, the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) is said to be continuing to push for the implementation of the Maguga hydro expansion project earmarked to contribute an extra 10 Megawatt (MW)  to the grid. 

adjacent

This project, worth approximately E75 million, involves the addition of generating equipment on the existing plant and constructing a new one in adjacent areas. 

Other projects in the pipeline include the Lavumisa Solar PV 10MW Power Station worth about E200 million and the Lubhuku coal thermal power station remains in the electricity company’s medium to long-term plans. 

“Successful implementation of all these prospective projects would ensure that the production capacity of the country improves, thus reducing the dependency on imports from South Africa,” highlighted the report.

The total number of EEC customers, on the other hand, rose to 235 103 at the end of 2019/20 from 221 337 in 2018/19. 

Domestic and commercial customers grew by 6.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively. Customers from the ‘irrigation power and bulk’ category fell by 28.2 per cent. 

combination

The combination of increased demand and fall in local generation is said to have resulted in a higher demand for imported power in 2019/20. Electricity imports (from neighbouring South Africa and Mozambique) grew by approximately 9.8 per cent to record 1 043.8 GWh in 2019/20 compared to 950.6 GWh in 2018/19.

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