4,200 MW SAPP deficit underscores urgency of regional power integration

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Although the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) faces a series of significant obstacles – such as insufficient transmission infrastructure; drought conditions affecting hydropower plants; theft and vandalism; high technical and non-technical losses; funding gaps; and a 4,200 MW generation shortfall across interconnected member States – South Africa’s Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Jane Graham-Maré has said these are surmountable with the right kind of cooperation and funding.

“…if we plan together as a region, we can save billions of dollars. That money we can put into schools, hospitals and new industries, all while making electricity more reliable and affordable. The only way to unlock those savings is through real cooperation,” she said when opening the sixty-fifth SAPP Meetings held in Fourways, Gauteng, on September 5.

Source: Schreiner, Barbara & Baleta, Hannah. (2015). Broadening the Lens: A Regional Perspective on Water, Food and Energy Integration in SADC. Aquatic Procedia. 5. 90-103. 10.1016/j.aqpro.2015.10.011.