BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MATSAPHA – “The energy sector is critical to economic recovery. It, therefore, remains important for the country to attain energy security considering that our energy supply agreements are due for review in 2025.”
These were His Majesty King Mswati III’s words when speaking at the ongoing official opening of the 5th session of the 11th Parliament in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
His Majesty made these remarks at a time when the Eswatini Electricity Company is making adjustments to its rates to help with energy security in the country.
“Government’s efforts to develop 126.5 megawatts (MW) of power plants through independent power producers (IPPS) and through our local power utility (EEC), are on track,“ said His Majesty.
“Further, a potential of an additional 80 MW biomass power generation capacity has been confirmed and its procurement will commence soon. Government should pursue the thermal power project given the abundance of coal deposits in the country,” added His Majesty.
The King also noted that the thermal power project needs to be done while taking into consideration minimising the impact of emissions on the environment through the use of technological advancements, as is done in some developed countries.
“Another source of energy is solar, which could address the issue of power in the country, to assist those who are underprivileged and without the capacity to wire their houses”, added the King on sustainable power.
His Majesty also revealed that Government is developing a model for the installation of ready boards and is working on a plan to economically empower qualified unemployed youth by granting opportunities to install them within their communities.
“All these initiatives will assist to fast track the rate of electrification in the country in order to ensure that every Liswati has access to electricity by 2030 in a cost-effective manner, whilst uplifting the socio-economic status of Emaswati”, emphasised the King. The current electricity access rate in Eswatini stands at 82%. Eswatini is ranked number 3 in the Southern African region on this measure.
