The SADC Secretariat in collaboration with its subsidiary organisation and energy implementing agency, Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) convened a SADC Energy (Electricity and Petroleum Gas) Subcommittees meeting on 31st May 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The objective of the meeting was to deliberate on security of energy supply in the SADC region with focus on implementation of national and regional programmes and projects aimed to facilitate availability of sufficient, reliable, least cost energy services in support of Regional Integration, Industrialization, Eradication of poverty and Economic Growth. The objectives were concurrent with the SADC Protocol on Energy of 1996, which promotes harmonious development of national energy policies and matters of common interest for the balanced and equitable development of energy throughout the Region.
The meeting also discussed and validated the terms of the reference (TORs) for the Regional (Inter-State) Gas Committee. The outcomes of the meeting will be presented to the Joint meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Energy and for Water which will be held in Sandton, South Africa on 27 June 2018 to be preceded by the Ministerial Workshop on Regional Gas Infrastructure and Market Development
In his introduction remarks, SADC Secretariat Senior Programme Officer, Mr. Moses Ntlamelle on behalf of SADC Director of Infrastructure emphasized the need for the SADC region to develop its energy infrastructure which is regarded as priority in the SADC Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2015-2020, the Regional Infrastructure Development Masterplan (RIDMP) (2012-2027) and the Regional Industrialisation Strategy, Roadmap and Action Plan (2015-2063).
Through the SAPP network, the regional objective is to ensure electricity connectivity for all the mainland Member States. SADC has prioritized the interconnectors and national transmission projects associated with regional integration transmission projects to connect outstanding Member States namely Angola, Malawi and Tanzania through Angola-Namibia Interconnector, Mozambique-Malawi Interconnector and Zambia-Tanzania interconnector which will link the East Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and SAPP. These transmission interconnectors will obviously contribute towards continental integration through energy infrastructure by enhancing power trading along the East, Central and West corridors of the SAPP network.
The meeting was preceded by two workshops on SAPP Competitive Electricity Markets Stakeholder and SAPP Generation and Transmission Masterplan (Pool Plan) 2017 which were held on 29th and 30th May 2018 respectively. The development of SAPP Competitive Electricity Market Trading Platforms was supported by the Government of Norway and the SAPP Generation and Transmission Masterplan 2017 was funded by World Bank Group and other International Cooperating Partners.
