To enhance energy security and self-sufficiency, the Government of Eswatini has embarked on the development of additional generation capacity to meet the country’s energy demand. In addition to the hydro plants, EEC owns a 9 MW diesel generator but due to high operating cost, the generator is mothballed and only used during emergency conditions. The rest of the electricity required is imported from South Africa (Eskom) and occasionally Mozambique (EDM). There are currently five IPPs operating power plants in Eswatini with a total installed capacity of close to 110 MW made up of hydro, biomass and solar PV plant technologies. These are Maguga (19.8 MW), Ezulwini (20 MW), Edwaleni (15 MW) and Maguduza (5.6 MW). The Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC), a state-owned power utility, owns and operates four hydro power plants that provide 60.4 MW of power and contribute 15 to 17 percent of the total energy consumed in Eswatini. The changes are driven by Eswatini’s desire to improve energy security, access to reliable, adequate, and affordable electricity, and the mitigation of potential detrimental impacts on the environment because of the growing energy demand. The changes include the introduction of new policies, enactment of new laws, establishment of the energy regulator, and initiation of electricity standards. Since then, the country’s energy sector has been undergoing rapid transformation with the liberalization of the electricity sector to encourage private sector investment. Population: 1.14 million | GDP ( 1 ): $4.71 billionĮnergy development in Eswatini is guided by the National Energy Policy of 2018.
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