Page 12 - AfrElec Week 33 2021

AfrElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrElec
POWER CUTS
Zimbabwe loadshedding under fire
Residents in Bulawayo have accused the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority’s (ZESA) of bias in its load shedding schedule with some suburbs experiencing power
cuts for hours while other areas have no interruptions.
Zimbabwe is currently facing serious power outages which the Energy Minister Soda Zhemu has attributed to a surge in electricity imports from neighbouring South Africa on ZESA’s network and causing power plants to collapse, New Zimbabwe.com reported.
However, angry residents who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com Tuesday alleged some areas were going for up to 19 hours daily without power while others where ZESA bosses lived never experience any power cuts on most days.
Some consumers with fixed electricity meters have resorted to paying their monthly bills based on the fraction of the period they have power.
Other residents also threatened to sue the power utility for damaging their electrical gadgets due to arbitrary power cuts. The livid residents called for equitable load shedding that should be spread evenly among all suburbs.
“We will either stop paying completely
or start paying for the hours which we have power. We are mobilising each other as residents to bring a collective lawsuit against ZESA for properties destroyed by power surges,” said Gilbert Ndlovu the chairperson of Mahlabezulu Residents Association.
Residents from low-density suburbs also raised similar complaints.
“I stay in Queens Park East. We are now subjected to almost daily power cuts that sometimes last for up to 15 hours. Every month I pay about $40 electricity,” said a resident, Raphael Moyo.
Moyo claimed suburbs such as Fairbridge were not experiencing similar treatment.
“People staying in Bradfield, Fairbridge and Montrose are not being subjected to
any power cuts at all. We do not want the selective power cuts because everyone is being affected,” he added.
The residents demanded a clear and transparent load shedding schedule from ZESA that would cover all areas.
“We are not against load shedding because we understand it is a national problem. All we want is for ZESA to be fair and transparent. For example, residents should exactly know
when to expect cuts,” added Bright Stevenson, a Khumalo resident.
“The power cuts should last a reasonable time so that we at least get time to use the power we pay for.”
ZESA officials could not be reached for comment.
RENEWABLES
Germans, NGO to finance solar in Cote d’Ivoire
Green Energy for African Citizens (GBE) and the German International Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) are launching a financing programme based on the results of installations of solar systems for productive use in Cote d’Ivoire.
Launched in 2017 by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Green Energy for African Citizens (GBE) is an initiative jointly implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the German Development Bank (KfW).
It aims to develop and secure sustainable energy supplies for people living in rural
areas of Africa. The programme is part of the Marshall Plan for Africa and relies on the broad participation of small and medium- sized enterprises, municipalities, cooperatives, public associations and citizens.
To this end, a new call for expressions of interest is being launched in Cote d’Ivoire. It is aimed at all companies operating in the solar energy sector with experience in technologies for productive use, as well as companies marketing solar refrigerators or freezers and those providing water pumps to combat irrigation in arid areas.
Under this performance-based funding programme, which provides financial incentives for the successful sale and installation of solar systems for productive use, selection will be made from among shortlisted applicants who will be invited to tender in future procurement procedures.
In addition, GBE has also launched a
call for projects (until August 31st, 2021),
on Ethiopia, Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia, for a grant funding opportunity (of €1mn in total) for projects in sub-Saharan Africa targeting two specific energy access challenges: “increasing the sustainability of off-grid installations” and “reducing CO2 emissions through energy access”.
GREEN ENERGY FOR AFRICAN CITIZENS
POWER
Karpowership SA ‘confident’ appeal will result in environmental approval
Powership provider Karpowership SA has told the country’s energy regulator it is confident
it will be granted environment approval on appeal as public hearings commenced on Thursday for a possible generation licence, South Africa’s news24 reported
In March, the Turkish-owned floating power plant operator was named a preferred bidder in a government programme to fast- track new power production to cut down on load shedding.
But in late June, it was refused environmental approval by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
The department ruled the powership provider’s public consultation process had not been up to scratch. It also said it had not undertaken a noise modelling study on the impact of running the ships on marine life. Karpowership has appealed the decision.
At Thursday’s hearing before the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), Karpowership SA director Mehmet Katmer said the group was “very confident” that its appeal would be successful as it “meets all the requirements”.
“These technologies have been used in many developed countries – we believe the environmental impact assessment process will be resolved through the appeal”.
No date has yet been set for the appeal to be heard.
But energy expert Chris Yelland, who presented on behalf of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), cautioned
that legal battles over Karpowership SA’s environmental authorisation process could drag on for over a year - or more.
Yelland said that, irrespective of the outcome of the appeal process, the ruling would almost certainly again be appealed either by Karpowership SA or green advocacy groups. This meant it could get bogged down in laborious court processes.
Karpowership responded to such criticism by denying it was only a provider of “emergency” power, as it faced a barrage of criticism from energy analysts and environmentalists questioning why its ships would be moored in SA harbours for two decades.
A division of Turkey’s Karadeniz Energy
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Week 33 19•August•2021