Energy Sector

The objective of this report on capacity needs in clean energy policy institutional framework and human resources in Botswana, Mauritius and Namibia is to inform and input the SATH support to clean energy capacity activities to be implemented in collaboration with SADC, Regional Electricity Regulation Association (RERA) and the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP).

The scope of the assessment covered: (i) the status of policy, planning and institutional frameworks for the promotion and deployment of clean energy (ii) the role and status of the private sector in the promotion and deployment of clean energy technologies (CET); (iii) the levels of coordination in clean energy promotion; and (iv) identifying the areas for possible capacity building support by SATH.

Governments are looking more and more towards Independent Power Producers (IPPs), or combinations of IPPs and state owned utilities, to meet the demand for new electricity generation. In South Africa, for example, Government policy dictates that 30% of all new generation capacity must come from Independent Power Producers. In Botswana, a big IPP Project is being planned, aiming to sell the majority of its power to Eskom.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Energy activity plan was prepared by a taskforce which comprised independent consultants from the region appointed at the end of 1999. This was after the approval of the SADC Energy Sector Action Plan in Arusha, Tanzania in 1997 by the Energy Ministers as a framework for elaboration of a more detailed and operational plan.

The objective of the mission was to asses the extent of and future plans for the power sector infrastructure development in Angola, particularly the generation and transmission infrastructure, looking at the extent to which the installed capacity meets the demand, the existing internal national grid and the possibilities to extend the grid into neighbouring SADC Member States. On the basis of the findings, to then come up with proposals for immediate, short term, medium term and probably long term measures to accelerate the connection of national electricity grid of Angola to the rest of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Grid.

This document serves as a high level policy document to explain a strategy and implementation plan to accomplish the twelve goals of the National Energy Policy.

Zambia is a landlocked country situated in southern central Africa. It has eight neighbouring countries, Angola to the west, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Mozambique to the south east and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia to the southwest. The Zambezi River together with Lake Kariba form the frontier with Zimbabwe.