South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has arrived in the country to discuss regional energy cooperation and secure future electricity supply.
This was some days after Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) subsidiary company, Eswatini Electricity Feedstock Company was granted a coal mining licence to generate power.
The discussions held at Summerfields Botanical Gardens on Friday focused on finalising a new 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) and EEC.
The agreement came as the country plans to increase its generation capacity with 1 500mw over the next few years and three new power plants launching this December.
Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela highlighted the growing economic partnership between the two nations. He said the discussions on electricity costs and commercial arrangements would be conducted through technical and regulatory channels.
The meeting also covered skills transfer and capacity building with the country’s officials seeking insights from South Africa’s experience with the Medupi and Kusile power plants.
“Eswatini and South Africa are not only neighbours but family, economic partners and political allies as private companies were already eyeing power exports to South Africa,” he said.
Dr Ramokgopa assured Eswatini of South Africa’s commitment to regional energy security.
“We are generating excess capacity and we want to make that capacity available to the rest of the world, we have a relationship of equals with other countries including Eswatini. Our engineers, project managers and business analysts involved in the expansion programme would certainly learn a lot from the teams that have delivered these major projects,” he said.
Regional collaboration was another topic of key importance as Prince Lonkhokhela raised the MOTRACO 400kV transmission line, jointly operated by South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique, noting that anchor agreements may expire in 2026.
He said Eswatini was keen to renew the agreements and explore efficiencies.
The officials were joined by EEC leadership, the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority and the ministry’s technical teams.
Local 1 500mw energy expansion
Eswatini will expand its electricity generation by 1 500mw over the next few years, with 18 companies expressing interest and three new power plants launching this December.
Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela outlined plans for regional trade, stating that private companies were interested in exporting electricity to South Africa.
He added that expansion aligned with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) energy protocols encouraging collaboration and cross-border electricity trade to support economic growth and industrialisation.
“Lessons from South Africa’s Medupi and Kusile power plants will inform Eswatini’s engineering and project management teams,” he added.
SA assures Eswatini of reliable electricity supply
DURING the discussions with Eswatini officials, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa assured that South Africa was generating excess electricity capacity and is prepared to make it available to neighbouring countries.
Dr Ramokgopa acknowledged past energy shortages, stating the biggest issue was sufficiency.
He further confirmed that South Africa now had surplus generation and was committed to regional cooperation. On cost, he said the matter would be addressed in a working agreement between the two nations.
He briefly shared lessons from South Africa’s turnaround of Eskom including diversification of generation, introduction of competition, skills development, and incentivising personnel as well.
“The supply was not sufficient to meet demand hence the several stages of load shedding. We had to initiate a process where we denied the industry and households their right to electricity. The effect was mutual for our neighbouring countries.
“The technical contract was signed recently. We will sit around the table and listen to the issues our teams have observed,” he said.
“Our biggest asset is the people. The machines we can change as and when we want,” he said, highlighting the importance of workforce expertise in maintaining a reliable electricity supply.
