CAPE TOWN, July (ANA) - African power utilities remain relevant as the future of power and energy in the continent is at a "significant junction", according to the programme director of African Utility Week.
“The future of power and energy in Africa is at a significant junction and African states and the power stakeholders operating within this sector realise that the impact of providing universal access to affordable energy will not only lead to accelerated economic development but significant social improvements. Yet, to achieve universal access executives have many strategic decisions ahead of them,” said Natalie Bacon.
African Utility Week is a three-day market-leading trade exhibition which brings together over 7000 of Africa’s thought leaders and visionaries to engage with the world’s most successful utilities and solution providers.
A recent study into the future of African power utilities and the challenges they face has highlighted four possible scenarios of what the continent’s energy sector will look like by the year 2030.
According to a whitepaper, titled: “The Future of Energy and Power Utilities in Africa”, utilities are envisioned to either become “The Lions of Africa”, “Hungry Hyenas”, “An Elephant Herd” or “White Elephants”, with each scenario having different consequences for both the African energy industry at large as well as the consumer.
The research project was conducted by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) at the University of Pretoria, in collaboration with Clarion Energy, organisers of flagship energy events such as African Utility Week, Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria and the Utility CEO Forum series, meetings and events that share ideas, encourage networking and facilitate business partnerships across the continent.
Bacon said that “hitherto business as usual for utilities has meant bulk energy production and distribution through coal-fired power plants, centralised grids and public sector monopolies. However, this is quickly coming under threat from new models of energy production and distribution”.
She said the four scenarios outlined by the study would help utilities and the wider industry visualise what African utilities could look like in 2030 and try to answer the important question of how utilities can remain relevant, effective and lead the African energy revolution.
She further added that “we are very pleased with the completed GIBS Scenario Whitepaper which, even for a layperson, is easy to read and contains a treasure trove of background information, telling figures and statistics and country profiles”.
“It provides an honest reflection of a sector in flux, detailing its current challenges and opportunities. ‘The Future of Energy and Power Utilities in Africa’ would contribute to the ongoing dialogue, knowledge sharing, challenging of the status quo and peer-to-peer interaction in the energy sector that we are continually striving to facilitate at our events.”
The 2019 Africa Utility Week will be held in Cape Town on May 14 to 16.
- African News Agency (ANA)
