Southern African Power Pool

The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) is a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Southern Africa under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The members of SAPP have created a common power grid between their countries and a common market for electricity in the SADC region. SAPP was founded in 1995.

Development

The Southern African Power Pool has many long-term goals it wishes to achieve. Main goals include increasing the accessibility of electricity to rural communities, better the relationships between the involved countries, create strategies that will support sustainable development priorities, and to co-ordinate the planning of electric power.^[1]

Along with industrial productivity, electricity generation can assist in South African Development Community (SADc)’s mandate of poverty elimination across Southern Africa. , only 5% of rural areas in Southern Africa have access to electricity, which prevents their ability to control sanitation, clean water, and food. In 2010, SADC passed the Regional Energy Access Strategy and Action Plan, which aims to combine regional energy resources as a means of ensuring the entire SADC region has access to affordable, sustainable electricity. The plan’s goal is to within ten years reduce half the number of people in the region without access to energy, and then halving it increase every five years until the region has universal access.

The most recent developments to the Southern African Power Pool came between the years of 1995 and 2005, where multiple interconnections were added. In 1995, an interconnector that ran from South Africa to Zimbabwe was completed, a Mozambique-South Africa interconnector was fixed in 1997, a Mozambique-Zimbabwe interconnector was finished, and most recently two power lines connecting South Africa to Maputo were finished.^[2]

Currently being planned for future development is a Zambia-Tanzania power line, a Mozambique-Malawi power line, a fixing of the old Zambia power line, and the construction of an Inga 3 Hydropower Station by means of the Westcor Project.

Members

Member Status

The Botswansa Power Corporation, Electricidade de Mocambique, ESKOM, Lesotho Electricity Corporation, NAMPOWER, Societe Nationale d'Electricitite, Swaziland Electricity Board, Zesco Limited, and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority are operating members of the Power Pool. The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi, Empresa Nacional de Electricidade, and the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Ltd are the non-operating members of the Power Pool. The Copperbelt Energy Corporation is the only Independent Transmission Company of the Power Pool.^[5]

History

Power trading between regions started in 1950 after the signed agreement between the Democratic Republicans of Congo and Zambia. Other parts of the continent also started a power trading business until 1995. In 1995 SAPP was founded and it was the first and advanced power pool in Africa. Since then the SAPP influenced the energy market and started competitive energy markets such as the DAM.^[6][7] Every year, each member donates a certain amount of money to the group as pre-determined in the document that set up the Power Pool.^[5] Today, most of the money that funds the Pool comes from donors, such as the World Bank and the Development Bank of South Africa.^[5]

Challenges

Despite being the most advanced power plant ever developed in Africa, the SAPP has some challenges and shortcomings. Its takes money to keep the plant running and the SAPP does not have the funds to create new investments. The SAPP also suffered from lack of infrastructure across the continent along with lack of maintenance for the existing infrastructure. There is not enough production because of the additional power that began running out by 2007.^[1] One major challenge that the Power Pool encounters is the establishment of the dependable power supply in a location that lacks the surplus of invention ability and low costs. Another significant challenge that The SAPP is confronted with is the skills development and preservation of qualified workers.^[5] The Southern African Power Pool faces the problem that power pools can only be sustained in areas with developed grid interconnections, an already decent amount of generating capacity that could be difficult for some other countries to meet, a legal framework that the members can agree to, and most importantly trust between the members.^[2] As of right now the legal documents and framework that hold the Southern African Power Plant is from the PEAC legal framework which includes the Intergovernmental MOU, and the Inter-Utility MOU.

Future Plans

Despite recent challenges, the SAPP have long committed goals that can help in its expansion and company’s growth. The following plans are investment projects, interconnected grid, electricity access, and competitive market. Investment projects that creates new revenue includes hydropower and clean coal power plant alternative over nuclear. They also plan to improve SAPP central grid to improve the link between North and South Africa regarding to the new alternative power plant, hydropower and clean cola. Interconnected grids can expand SAPP activities. Along with the current SAPP members, there are future plans to involve other areas such as Tanzania, Malawi and Angola. Electricity access would expand the use of electricity to more areas in order to make it accessible to new borders. Lastly, strengthen and regulating competitive markets plan that sets up new rules that help meets consumers and investors satisfaction.^[8]

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.energy.gov.za/files/esources/electricity/electricity_powerpool.html
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/3214interconnection_powerpools.pdf
3. ↑ "Membership". Southern African Power Pool. Retrieved March 16, 2014. 
4. ↑ Central Intelligence Agency. "CIA Factbook". The World Factbook. Retrieved March 29, 2010. 
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.sari-energy.org/PageFiles/What_We_Do/activities/sapp_eev_feb_2010/Presentations/Feb_14/Overview_of_the_SAPP.pdf
6. ↑ Electricity market
7. ↑ http://www.afdb.org/en/blogs/integrating-africa/post/power-trade-in-africa-and-the-role-of-power-pools-12101/
8. ↑ http://www.esmap.org/sites/esmap.org/files/BN004-10_REISP-CD_South%20African%20Power%20Pool-Transmission%20&%20Trading.pdf

http://www.sadc.int/themes/infrastructure/en/electricity-generation/

External links

• Southern African Power Pool official website