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EMASWATI ASSURED OF ENERGY SECURITY BY 2025

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MBABANE – The Kingdom of Eswatini will be ready to generate its own electricity by 2025 when its Power Supply Agreement with South Africa’s Eskom ends.


Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) currently imports about 70 per cent of its electricity from neighbouring countries, among which is South Africa, where electricity is generated by Eskom.
 Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Peter Bhembe gave an assurance that the country was going to be generating enough electricity that would sustain the country when its marriage with Eskom ends.


Reliance


Despite the state-owned company engaging in negotiations with Eskom for a further 25-year extension, the country is not putting much reliance on the possibility of an extension but is pushing for independence from power imports.
Bhembe said currently the country generates 60 megawatts electricity but that is just a quarter of what would sustain the country as 230 megawatts is needed for Eswatini to have energy security.


The minister was also captured by Eswatini TV recently stating that the ministry was doing a feasibility study at Ngwempisi Hydro Power Station, which has the potential to generate 200 megawatts of electricity.


Generating


“Eswatini will be generating its own power by 2025,” he said when interviewed outside parliament last week Wednesday.
EEC Head of Corporate Communications Khaya Mavuso confirmed that the company’s contract negotiations with Eskom were an ongoing process which started some years back.


When asked if the country was indeed ready to generate its own electricity, Mavuso referred this reporter to the Energy Master Plan and short-term generation expansion plan which states that EEC had awarded contracts for the construction of a 132kV transmission line from Edwaleni II Substation to Stonehenge in an effort to strengthen the security of electricity supply to the western grid and also provide reliable power supply to the northern part of Eswatini.


According to the Eswatini Energy Master Plan 2034 report, the Kingdom of Eswatini imports all of its petroleum product requirements and around 70 per cent of its power from South Africa and Mozambique, despite being well endowed with conventional and renewable energy resources, including coal, solar, hydro, wind and biomass residues from the sugar and forestry industries.


Demand


These resources are potentially able to meet the entire national electricity demand if fully exploited, as well as potentially provide for the export of excess energy to Eswatini’s neighbours.


The report states that the high dependency on power imports contributes greatly to the country’s account deficit and increases Eswatini’s exposure to energy supply risks, in terms of both supply security and price shocks.

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