Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of river systems; the Zambezi River being the most prominent. The Zambezi flows from the northwest corner of Zambia and western Angola to the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique. Along the way, the Zambezi River flows over the mighty Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world and a major tourist attraction for the region.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana.
The East–West Interconnector is a 500 MW high-voltage direct current submarine and subsoil power cable which connects the Irish and British electricity markets. The project was developed by the Irish national grid operator EirGrid.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo was a net energy exporter in 2008. Most energy was consumed domestically in 2008. According to the IEA statistics the energy export was in 2008 small and less than from the Republic of Congo. 2010 population figures were 3.8 million for the RC compared to CDR 67.8 Million.
Energy in Zimbabwe is a serious problem for the country. Extensive use of firewood leads to deforestation and the electricity production capacity is too low for the current level of consumption.
Energy use and development in Africa varies widely across the continent, with some African countries exporting energy to neighbors or the global market, while others lack even basic infrastructures or systems to acquire energy. The World Bank has declared 32 of the 48 nations on the continent to be in an energy crisis. Energy development has not kept pace with rising demand in developing regions, placing a large strain on the continent's existing resources over the first decade of the new century. From 2001 to 2005, GDP for over half of the countries in Sub Saharan Africa rose by over 4.5% annually, while generation capacity grew at a rate of 1.2%.
Three primary energy sources make up the energy mix in Guinea: fossil biomass, oil and hydropower. Biomass makes the largest contribution in primary energy consumption. It is locally produced, while Guinea imports all the petroleum products it needs. The potential for hydroelectric power generation is high, but largely untapped. Electricity is not available to a high percentage of Guineans, especially in rural areas, and service is intermittent, even in the capital city of Conakry.
This article describes energy and electricity production, consumption, import and export in Kenya. Kenya's current effective installed electricity capacity is 2,651 MW, with peak demand of 1,912 MW, as of November 2019. At that time, demand was rising at a calculated rate of 3.6 percent annually, given that peak demand was 1,770 MW, at the beginning of 2018. Electricity supply is mostly generated by renewable sources with the majority coming from geothermal power and hydroelectricity.
Ethiopia generates most of its electricity from renewable energy, mainly hydropower.
An interconnector is a structure which enables high voltage DC electricity to flow between electrical grids. An electrical interconnector allows electricity to flow between separate AC networks, or to link synchronous grids. They can be formed of submarine power cables or underground power cables or overhead power lines.
Copperbelt Energy Corporation Plc (CEC) is a Zambian electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply company with operations in Zambia and Nigeria. The company is listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange
Viking Link is a 1,400 MW HVDC submarine power cable under construction between the United Kingdom and Denmark.
The Isinya–Singida High Voltage Power Line is a high voltage electricity power line, under construction, connecting the high voltage substation at Isinya, Kenya to another high voltage substation at Singida, Tanzania.
Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station is a hydroelectric dam under construction across the Rufiji River in eastern Tanzania. Although controversial, the government approved the plans in 2018. The power station is expected to have an installed capacity of 2,115 megawatts (2,836,000 hp) and to produce 5,920GWh of power annually. The project, power station and dam are owned by and will be managed by the government owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO). Construction began in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2022.
Zambia is potentially self-sufficient in sources of electricity, coal, biomass and renewable energy. The only energy source where the country is not self-sufficient is petroleum energy. Many of the sources of energy where the country is self-sufficient are largely unexploited. As of 2017, the country's electricity generating capacity stood at 1,901 megawatts.
The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP), is a collaborative effort by eleven countries in Eastern Africa to interconnect their electricity grids and take advantage of excess capacity within the network and facilitate trade of electric power between the members.
The Pool Energetique De L'Afrique Centrale (PEAC), also Central African Power Pool, is an association of ten Central African countries. The major aim of the association is to interconnect the electricity grids of the member countries in order to facilitate the trading of electric power between the members. PEAC is one of the five regional power pools in Africa.
The Iringa–Sumbawanga High Voltage Power Line, also Iringa–Mbeya–Tunduma–Sumbawanga High Voltage Power Line, is a high voltage electricity power line, under development in Tanzania. The 400 kiloVolts power line will connect the high voltage substation at Iringa, to another high voltage substation at Sumbawanga.
The Ngonye Power Station, is a planned hydroelectric power station across the Zambezi River in Zambia. The power station will have maximum generating capacity of 180 megawatts (240,000 hp), when completely developed. The energy will be sold to the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) under a long-term power purchase agreement. The power station might be developed in phases, starting with 60 megawatts. It is named after the nearby Ngonye Falls.
Mozambique has abundant energy sources available for exploitation. As of 2021, the country was ranked first in energy potential of all the countries in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), with an estimated energy capacity of 187,000 MW. Available energy sources include coal, hydroelectricity, natural gas, solar energy and wind power. As of September 2021, the largest proportion of the power currently generated is from hydroelectric sources. However the energy mix in the country is changing. Natural gas powered energy stations are expected to provide 44 percent of total energy generation from 2020 to 2030.
