GOVT REAFFIRMS 50% RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET BY 2030

EZULWINI – Eswatini has reaffirmed its target of having 50 per cent of all electricity consumed in the country generated from renewable energy sources by 2030.

The reaffirmation was made by the Director of Energy in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, Thabile Nkosi, during the 3rd EU Green Power Transformation Forum 2024 held at Happy Valley last week. Nkosi said in terms of policies and strategies, government is up to date. She said government was indeed committed to the development of renewable energy in Eswatini and making sure that the electricity generated was particularly from renewable energy sources.

The director said in order to reach the set target, all relevant parties should come to the party and as government, they were pleased to see even banks realising the importance of renewable energy and hence setting aside funds for that. “The future is bright for renewable energy,” she said. Nkosi said they have reviewed their energy master plan because the energy sector is not stagnant. She said every day, they have to come up with new strategies that will ensure that the sector is developed.

Capacity

Nkosi reiterated that the government’s renewable energy aspirations are carried out in the Energy Master Plan, which provides a long-term planning roadmap for the development of new generation capacity for the country from 2018 to 2034. The director added that the energy master plan has actually modelled different renewable energy sources, including solar, wind and biomass and lately will take into account the inclusion of geothermal and battery storage. She said, as mentioned earlier, that the sector is not stagnant, hence the need to include the latest technology involved in the renewable energy space.

Nkosi added that it was also important for them to work on the renewable energy grid integration plan, ensuring that it is ready for the integration of the technological developments in the renewable energy space. The director added that the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) is working on a number of renewable energy projects, and the regulator, being the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA), is also procuring from independent power producers. She said they were all informed by the master plan. Nkosi added that they are hoping to see electricity prices coming down once the renewable energy prices are complete.

Deployment

The Energy Masterplan assesses the cost of the energy system from the deployment of various energy technologies, showing renewables to be cost-competitive in a growing array of conditions. This is in accordance with the observed combination of expertise, purchasing power and access to international financial markets that drives down project costs and risks of renewables deployment globally. This Masterplan’s modelling output will enable the country to structure policy advice and planning for the development of renewable energy projects in a robust manner.

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