Chronicle Editor
Peter Matika,[email protected]@petematika
PARLIAMENTARIANS in the SADC region must adopt and advocate for comprehensive energy policy frameworks, higher budget allocations for renewable energy development and regional cooperation to harmonise energy policies, Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said.
Adv Mudenda who is at the 55th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum currently being held in Luanda, Angola said this in his address at the summit. The summit is being held under the theme, “The Role of Parliaments in Promoting Renewable Energy Policies in the SADC Region and the Creation of a Single Regional Energy Market”.
Adv Mudenda said the importance of ratifying and domesticating SADC protocols on renewable energy to enable a swift transition towards a clean, secure and affordable energy future for all SADC citizens is a sustainable economic development. He said the energy landscape in the SADC region is characterised by an untapped rich tapestry of renewable energy resources which include hydropower generation, solar, wind and biomass with a huge global potential of about 10580 terawatt-hours per year.
“Notwithstanding several master plans that have been crafted to mitigate the energy deficit in the region, actual progress remains stunted despite the pressing demand for electricity in the region in the wake of regional industrialisation trajectory. Inexorably, this points to the need to improve the quantum of energy to meet the energy deficit,” said Adv Mudenda.
He referred to the Inga Dam hydroelectric project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying that it offers a transformative opportunity for the SADC region to access hydropower, which has an envisaged potential to generate over 42 000MW of electricity that will meet the energy needs of millions across our region.
Adv Mudenda said procrastinating on the project is the bane of the Southern African region.
“It is axiomatic that to realize the full benefits of renewable energy projects in the SADC region, requires courageous timely completion, effective implementation and long-term sustainability of renewable power generation projects. Accordingly, the pending renewable power projects must be actualised without any further delay,” Adv Mudenda said.
“Other green energy projects include the Caculo Cabaça hydropower project in Angola, the Batoka Hydro Project (2400MW), Devil’s Gorge located in Zambia and Zimbabwe, Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Project in Mozambique and the Stiegler’s Gorge Hydropower project in Tanzania,” said Adv Mudenda.
He said more critically, nuclear power is increasingly emerging as a potential solution to address the energy access and climate change challenges faced by SADC countries.
“Nuclear power offers a reliable, low-carbon alternative energy source that enhances energy security and environmental conservation sovereignty. Currently, nuclear energy accounts for 10 percent of electricity output worldwide, with Africa at 0.6 percent of the world output,” said Adv Mudenda.
He emphasised that strategic partnerships with international organizations and leading nuclear technology countries such as Russia, China and South Korea can facilitate access to advanced nuclear technology that can accelerate nuclear power generation in the SADC region.
“In promoting renewable energy, a stout Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) is key in attracting investments by providing a guaranteed above-market price for producers. The concept has been a success in Europe, especially in countries such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany. Similarly, the Asian Tigers, Japan and China implemented the feed-in tariff mechanisms resulting in enormous investments in the renewable energy sector.”
“Such a policy trajectory must have guaranteed access to the grid, stable, long-term purchase agreements and payment levels to the renewable energy producer based on competitive generation costs,” said Adv Mudenda.
He said to cement regional cooperation in the renewable energy sector, the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) is the answer to coordinated power generation and intra-energy country utilisation under a robust harmonised legal framework.
“Parliaments must nudge the executive to propagate comprehensive cutting-edge energy policy frameworks for rapid energy investments and development. Parliaments must leverage higher budget allocations towards renewable energy sector development. Through legislative diplomacy, parliamentarians must facilitate regional cooperation, agreements and mechanisms to create a vibrant single regional energy market through harmonization of energy policies and legal frameworks,” said Adv Mudenda.
He urged parliaments to ratify and domesticate the SADC protocols on energy.
“These include SADC Protocols on Energy 1996, SADC Energy Activity Plan (2000), Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2003), Regional Energy Access Strategy and Action Plan of 2010, SADC Regional Infrastructure, Development Master Plan and its Energy Sector Plan (2012), Revised RISDP (2015-2020), Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) and Agenda 2063,” Adv Mudenda said.
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