Page 4 - AfrElec Week 47 2020

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

African utility-scale renewables

set for 300% growth

Africa’s renewables sector is forecast to expand 300% to 51.2 GW by 2025, driven by wind
and solar in South Africa and the Maghreb region, writes Richard Lockhart

AFRICA AFRICA’S renewable energy capacity is set in Africa towards 2025, increasing capacity from
to rise by 300% between 2019 and 2025 as the just 500 MW in 2020 to 2.9 GW in 2025.
WHAT: industry posts six consecutive years of growth. The increase will come primarily from one
Africa’s green capacity Green capacity stood at 12.6% in 2019, and is mega-project, the 4-GW Tafouk 1 Mega Solar
is forecast to rise to 51.2 set to reach 16.8 GW in 2020, 22.3 GW in 2021 Project, which will be developed in five phases
GW by 2025 and 51.2 GW by 2025, Rystad Energy said in a of 800 MW of capacity each, to be tendered
recent report. between 2020 and 2024.
WHY: Growth in solar and wind projects led by Rystad Energy expects three of the tendered
Growth in solar and wind Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Ethiopia projects, with 2.4 GW of capacity, will be com-
projects led by Egypt, is driving the rapid growth. missioned by 2025.
Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco At same time, regional leader South Africa, Tunisia will also see formidable growth, sky-
and Ethiopia is driving which has 3.5 GW of wind and 2.4 GW of utility rocketing from 350 MW of renewable capacity
the rapid growth solar, is set to install 1 GW of capacity over the in 2020 to 4.5 GW in 2025.
next five years. The additions will come from larger solar
WHAT NEXT: Egypt and Morocco are in second and third plants such as the 2-GW TuNur Mega Project,
Africa still has serious place in terms of solar capacity, with 1.6 GW and which is currently in the early stages of devel-
issues with decarbonising 0.8 GW respectively. opment and is anticipated to go online by 2025.
its industry
Rapid growth Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia
Rystad Energy found that nearly 40 out of 50 In terms of speed, Egypt has been one of the
African countries have installed – or plan to quickest African nations to install solar and wind
install – wind or solar projects. since 2017, and currently has approximately 3
Although the learning curve may be steep GW of installed capacity.
for first-time market entrants with sizable devel- The country has a massive 9.2-GW develop-
opment pipelines, inexperienced players will ment pipeline – which mostly consists of wind
be able to leverage the lessons learned in Egypt, projects – putting Egypt on track to overtake
South Africa and Morocco and implement this South Africa in 2025 and become the green pow-
knowledge within their development plans. erhouse of Africa.
Algeria will see the most renewable growth Growth will come from large projects such as

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 47 26•November•2020