WCA September 2013

SADC to boost output

Kenya-Ethiopia transmission project The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched a $1.26 billion transmission line project, to be developed between Kenya and Ethiopia. The project involves the construction of 1,068km of transmission lines, around 437km in Ethiopia and 631km in Kenya. The scope of the project includes construction of the associated AC/ DC converter stations at Wolayta-Sodo, Ethiopia, and Suswa, Kenya substations, with a transfer capacity of up to 2,000MW in either direction. The project is funded by a $338m AfDB loan with investment of $684m from the World Bank. Kenya and Ethiopia have agreed to contribute $88m and $32m, respectively. AfDB revealed that the French development agency has also expressed an interest to invest in the project.

The Southern African Development Community is to commission new power projects to increase electricity generation capacity in the region. Southern African Power Pool coordination centre manager Dr Lawrence Musaba said new power plants were required to meet the region’s rising electricity needs. “In the period between 2013 and 2016, SAPP plans to commission 17,856MW in an effort to avert a regional power crisis,” he said. Dr Musaba said Angola will increase its power output by 3,610MW, while South Africa will add 7,893MW and Zimbabwe 630MW by 2016. He added that there is a need for incentives to attract more investors into the sector. Dr Musaba urged SADC countries to start developing hydro-power stations, not thermal ones. “Member countries going forward should build hydro-power stations as they are sustainable, have a longer lifespan and low maintenance costs compared with thermal power stations. For example,

Kariba Power station began operations in the 1960s, while Hwange thermal power station was built in the 1980s, yet Kariba is proving to be sustainable and it is producing more than Hwange,” he said. Zambia and Zimbabwe are jointly constructing the Batoka Hydro Electricity plant on the Zambezi River, which is expected to add 1,650MW to the two neighbours. The SAPP estimates that by 2025 the SADC region will require at least 102,871MW of electricity. Southern African Development Community – South Africa Website : www.sadc.int ❍ ❍ Bakota Gorge on the Zambezi River

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2013