Mozambique President inaugurates 120 MW gas-fired power station
The mass deployment of often-overlooked mini, or small-scale, hydropower projects to complement existing energy generation in Africa emerged as a key theme during a panel discussion at the recent Africa Energy Indaba, in Sandton.
A panel, comprising four industry proponents, agreed that, with increasingly complex financing options and growing concerns around the environmental impact of large hydropower projects, smaller projects of less than 20 MW could fill a critical gap in electri- city generation on the continent.
Swiss Re head of market development in Africa Christina Ulardic pointed out that Africa had managed to bring into operation only 5% of the continent’s estimated hydropower potential.
With plans for several large projects being finalised, a focus on diversification was needed, particularly as financing structures were becoming increasingly complex for larger projects, with governments having less capital to spend, and the environmental impact of such projects increasingly under the microscope.
Ulardic pointed to the potential of implementing a programme of mass deployment of mini hydropower systems much in the same way as had been done with solar power.
In South Africa, several smaller-scale solar projects were increasingly being constructed to aggregately feed into the national electricity grid or provide independent power off-grid.
Much attention was currently placed on large-scale hydropower projects in Africa, as the continent remained mostly in the dark, with the perception that a massive project would be the final solution to fast-track electricity generation, Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon international hydrosales manager Andy Eaton said.
He cited the “massive” potential in Zambia and Rwanda, where small-scale projects had been overlooked in favour of larger hydropower operations.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Supplier & Distributor of the Widest Range of Accurate & Easy-to-Use Alcohol Breathalysers
VISIT SHOWROOM
Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
