Rera to hold annual conference in Vic Falls

Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
THE Regional Electricity Regulators Association of Southern Africa (Rera) will next week hold its annual conference in Victoria Falls to discuss issues pertaining to power generation and supply in the Sadc region.The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) communications officer, Gladman Njanji, told Business Chronicle yesterday that the forthcoming  conference seeks to strengthen efforts being made to ensure energy security in the region.

“Rera will hold its 11th annual conference in Victoria Falls’ Elephant Hills hotel from December 10 to 11,  2014.  This historic conference seeks to further consolidate new and ongoing efforts to ensure the region’s energy security,” he said.

The two-day event will be held under the theme, “Leveraging the Sadc Region’s Energy Potential through an integrated approach”.

Key issues to be interrogated include power supply and demand in the region, developing the regional electricity market and Africa clean energy corridor.

“Some of the key issues to be   interrogated include grid integration of renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPP) projects, and electricity tariff and performance indicators,” said Njanji.

Power supply constraints have become one of the major challenges impeding industrial revival efforts in the country.

Against this background, Zera has in the past few years licensed 15 IPPs to boost electricity generation.

The projects by IPPs were at different stages of development.

The country has a national demand of 2,200 megawatts and as of yesterday, according to the Zimbabwe Power Company, was producing 1,368MW.

Meanwhile, construction of a new power line linking Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa is expected to improve connectivity and electricity transmission in Sadc.

The project, which is commonly referred to as MoZiSa Transmission Line, involves three countries namely Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa who are linked to the regional grid.

All power utilities in mainland Sadc, with the exception of Angola, Malawi and Tanzania, are interconnected through the Southern African Power Pool allowing them to sell electricity to one another through a competitive market.

In this regard, MoZiSa Transmission Project has the capacity to improve access to power through the regional grid, allowing smooth transmission of electricity between and among Sadc member states.