Multi-stakeholder power initiative Power Africa has so far enabled access to electricity for nearly 70-million people in sub-Saharan Africa through 14.8-million home and business connections.

As of July, 56 of Power Africa’s 124 financially closed projects were commissioned, delivering 3 486 MW of electricity generation capacity. The projects that have reached financial close total 10 384 MW of capacity.

Additionally, in South Africa, Power Africa has helped to facilitate the financial close of 27 renewable energy projects, totalling 2 400 MW. South Africa is one of 40 African countries that have received Power Africa assistance.

The initiative’s existing projects are worth more than $20-billion, while it has $54-billion in commitments from partners for 400 proposed power generation projects going forward.

Power Africa coordinator Andrew Herscowitz on Wednesday discussed the findings of the initiative’s 2019 annual report and results to date.

Power Africa was launched in 2013 as a US government-led partnership to double electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, through facilitating 30 000 MW of new generation capacity and adding 60-million new electricity connections.

Power Africa draws on the expertise of more than 150 private and public sector partners, 18 development partners and 12 US government agencies.

Herscowitz explained during a media briefing that the Power Africa partners realised that power was a key constraint on, or enabler of, economic growth. However, he noted that critical inhibiting factors of power projects involve political issues, domestic transmission systems and infrastructure, as well as distribution systems.

“Most utilities on the continent struggle with insolvency and losses. Once we can encourage countries to trade power and build necessary transmission lines, more generation projects will go online, and more quickly as well. We have to work on the whole system,” he said.

Power Africa launched a transmission roadmap last year, laying out 18 critical interventions – totalling 7 200 km of transmission lines – necessary to deliver more power for the continent.

Until all public and private stakeholders work together on transmission and distribution issues, more than the current 550-million people without access to electricity will remain in the dark.

Further, Herscowitz explained that the majority of projects commissioned under the Power Africa partnership involved gas, but renewables would become more prominent going forward, as they start making more economic sense.

“As battery prices [used for renewable energy’s storage] come down, it will become nearly impossible to justify fossil fuels. However, we will continue supporting fossil fuels in the off-grid space. For example, an 80 W panel is not sufficient for water heating and cooking purposes, since it takes 700 W of power to boil water.

“We are [however] looking at clean liquefied petroleum gas systems, linked with a solar home system,” he noted.

Power Africa has reached financial close on 23 wind projects, totalling 2 451 MW of capacity; 18 natural gas projects, totalling 4 042 MW; 24 hydro projects, totalling 1 493 MW; four biomass projects, totalling 114 MW; one geothermal project, totalling 158 MW; six heavy fuel oil projects, totalling 316 MW; and 48 solar projects, totalling 1 816 MW.

Power Africa takes a demand-driven approach with a robust “boots on the ground” presence of dedicated power experts situated around the continent. Many provide direct advice to private-sector companies and governments alike on specific transactions.

Others are embedded in utilities, regulatory agencies, and ministries, where they work to improve operational standards and staff capabilities.

Power Africa has hundreds of staff and advisers based in more than 30 countries, which allows for a technical reach anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa.