{"id":14733,"date":"2025-02-27T13:14:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/?p=14733"},"modified":"2025-02-27T13:14:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:14:47","slug":"the-future-of-africas-energy-sector-balancing-fossil-fuels-and-renewables-by-nj-ayuk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/the-future-of-africas-energy-sector-balancing-fossil-fuels-and-renewables-by-nj-ayuk\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Africa&#8217;s Energy Sector: Balancing Fossil Fuels and Renewables"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s a promising future for African renewables as the continent strives to balance its current reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the prediction of the African Energy Chamber\u2019s&nbsp;<em>2025 Outlook Report on the State of African Energy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I have said before, Africa will eventually rely primarily on renewable energy, as much of the rest of the world strives to \u2014 but on its own timetable, not that of Western countries who have benefited for centuries from the exploitation of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To achieve a carbon neutral future, African nations must have the underlying infrastructure and industry to make the dominance of renewables possible. As things currently stand, most African states lack said infrastructure and industry, and the most feasible and expedient way for them to achieve both is through leveraging the abundant oil and gas resources so many of them possess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As our report finds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fossil fuels account for 72% of Africa\u2019s power generation. South Africa and Egypt are Africa\u2019s leading producers, and their dominance will continue into the next decade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Renewables account for over 27% of Africa\u2019s power generation and are projected to increase to 43% by the end of this decade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Africa accounts for 3.3% of the global power generation, with a total power generation of over 980 terawatt hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>13 GW of utility-scale solar PV and wind projects are under construction \u2013 South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Algeria account for over 75% of this capacity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>No Electricity at All<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are also significant challenges facing Africa\u2019s energy sectors, as we cover in detail in our report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most pressing of those challenges is the fact that many rural areas across Africa are underserved and lack the necessary power infrastructure to access any electricity at all. In fact, of the 685 million people worldwide living without access to electricity, 590 million (86%) live in Africa. Conversely, even in well-served areas electricity is not cheap and reliable, as population and urbanization growth have outpaced the growth of power infrastructure, placing additional strain on the existing power systems. Many African households still rely on alternative, less efficient energy sources such as biomass, kerosene, etc., for heating and cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One practical solution to these challenges is Western investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Western investment \u2014 providing both funds and technology \u2014 will help expand our existing infrastructure into underserved areas and harness our natural resources, and that will go a long way toward improving economic conditions across the continent. This will in turn improve energy affordability for many Africans as it becomes both more widely available and cheaper to access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But where and in what should the West invest? That is up to them, but there are many development opportunities across the continent right now. I will cover just a few of the most promising, according to our outlook report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What we found is that most North African countries see 90% access rates for electricity and are looking to enhance their power sectors while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The bulk of renewable power share increases by the end of the decade will almost certainly be seated in this region. In contrast, sub-Saharan countries will continue to fight low electricity access for some time. They have been able to increase access to 55% currently, up from 38.3% in 2010. These countries will be ripe for investment, expanding the grid and production infrastructure to improve electrical access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also found that hydropower continues to dominate in East Africa, which has some of the largest dams in the world generating 19% of Africa\u2019s overall power generation and providing up to 90% of the available power for countries such as Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Africa\u2019s largest hydroelectric project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is nearing completion and is expected to generate 15,760 GWh annually once fully operational. The project is of such importance to the region that it has sparked diplomatic cooperation between the Nile-bound countries of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan in an effort to ensure equitable sharing of the river\u2019s precious waters. Other currently ongoing projects such as Ethiopia\u2019s Gibe III Dam (1870 MW), Zambia and Zimbabwe\u2019s Kariba Dam (1830 MW) and Ghana\u2019s Akosombo Dam (1020 MW) also speak to promising future growth and development opportunities for those willing to get their feet wet in the central and eastern parts of the continent along the Congo and Nile rivers, where nearly 90% of the continent\u2019s hydroelectric potential remains untapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Geothermal power in Africa is currently dominated by Kenya, which to date is the seventh largest producer of geothermal power. Kenya\u2019s estimated geothermal power potential is roughly 10 GW, but current operation capacity only allows 1 GW to be harnessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International investment is what launched Kenya\u2019s geothermal power in the first place, with the United Nation\u2019s development program providing the requisite research and funds in 1972 to establish the country\u2019s first geothermal plant by the 1980s. Since then, Kenya has expanded independently, creating the state-owned Geothermal Development Company (GDC) in 2008 to both speed up geothermal advancements and lower the initial investment risk for foreign investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Solar Power: A Light in the Dark<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solar power offers a veritable gold mine of opportunity given Africa\u2019s high irradiance levels: nearly 80% of the continent receives more than 2 MWh per square meter. This amounts to a solar PV potential of 1 million terawatt hours per year and a solar thermal potential of over 500,000 terawatt hours (for reference, a single terawatt hour is enough to light over 1 million homes for a year). Yet to date, Africa only generates over 35 TWh and 3.3 TWh from solar PV and solar thermal, respectively. Over 13 GW of utility-scale solar PV and wind projects are currently under construction, with hundreds more GW of capacity in the concept phase..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would like to reiterate: Africa&nbsp;<em>will&nbsp;<\/em>reach a point where we will rely primarily on low carbon and renewable energy. But we cannot get to that point without building the proper infrastructure, and we cannot fund the building of said infrastructure without leveraging our natural resources, oil and gas being chief among them. If the west wishes to speed along Africa\u2019s progress on this front, the best way is to work with African as partners and investors working towards common goals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber There\u2019s a promising future for African renewables as the continent strives to balance its current reliance on fossil fuels. That\u2019s the prediction &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/the-future-of-africas-energy-sector-balancing-fossil-fuels-and-renewables-by-nj-ayuk\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7442,4746,11],"tags":[63,6986,11841,709,730,809,914,997,11840,11839,1252,1301,1629,6104,5275,2371,2767],"class_list":["post-14733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-countries","category-renewables-2","category-top-news","tag-africa","tag-african-energy-chamber","tag-akosombo-dam","tag-egypt","tag-electricity","tag-ethiopia","tag-fossil-fuels","tag-ghana","tag-gibe-iii-dam","tag-kariba-dam","tag-kenya","tag-kerosene","tag-morocco","tag-nj-ayuk","tag-renewables","tag-south-africa","tag-zimbabwe","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Mainstream-Renewable-Power-in-South-Africa.webp?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5JWkQ-3PD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11495,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/time-for-an-african-funded-energy-bank-to-finance-exploration-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":14733,"position":0},"title":"Time for an African Funded Energy Bank to Finance Exploration &#038; Development","author":"","date":"January 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber For more than a year, the African Energy Chamber has been pushing back against steadily building pressure to halt new foreign investments in Africa\u2019s oil and gas industry. To prevent catastrophic climate change, environmental organizations, financial organizations, and governments across Europe and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Central Africa&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Central Africa","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/central-africa\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/seismic-survey2.jpg?fit=723%2C482&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/seismic-survey2.jpg?fit=723%2C482&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/seismic-survey2.jpg?fit=723%2C482&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/seismic-survey2.jpg?fit=723%2C482&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10286,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/renewables-supplied-only-a-third-of-africas-electricity-demand-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":14733,"position":1},"title":"Renewables supplied only a third of Africa\u2019s electricity demand growth","author":"","date":"May 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"An analysis of global electricity revealed that wind and solar showed resilient growth in 2020 despite the pandemic, forcing a record fall in global coal power. The Global Electricity Review (https:\/\/bit.ly\/3nMqxBv) published by energy think tank Ember (www.Ember-climate.org) analysed electricity data from every country in the world to give the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kom-Ombo-solar-park.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kom-Ombo-solar-park.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kom-Ombo-solar-park.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kom-Ombo-solar-park.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11610,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/energy-transition-central-to-africas-economic-future-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":14733,"position":2},"title":"Energy Transition Central to Africa&#8217;s Economic Future &#8211; Report","author":"","date":"January 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"An integrated policy framework built around the energy transition could bring a wave of new sustainable energy investment to Africa, growing the region's economy by 6.4 per cent by 2050, results of an analysis published today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the African Development Bank\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11305,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/dla-piper-report-shows-trends-in-africas-energy-transition\/","url_meta":{"origin":14733,"position":3},"title":"DLA Piper Report Shows Trends in Africa\u2019s Energy Transition","author":"","date":"December 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"DLA Piper Africa has released the Africa Energy Futures: Horizon 2030 report. Comprised of 21 country chapters, the report is an in-depth look at where the continent stands in regards to the energy transition, as well as the challenges and opportunities that will arise in the next five to ten\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10224,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/not-under-our-watch-greenpeace-africa-responds-to-east-africa-crude-oil-pipeline-deal\/","url_meta":{"origin":14733,"position":4},"title":"Not Under Our Watch: Greenpeace Africa Responds to East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline Deal","author":"","date":"April 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 East Africa needs energy security based on widespread rollout of renewables and the millions of clean jobs that come with it, and it needs to protect its natural heritage In response to the news that Uganda, Tanzania and oil firms Total and CNOOC have signed agreements\u00a0 to kickstart the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/e9844dc53243e300ad9a2d5e04c862e5.jpeg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/e9844dc53243e300ad9a2d5e04c862e5.jpeg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/e9844dc53243e300ad9a2d5e04c862e5.jpeg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/e9844dc53243e300ad9a2d5e04c862e5.jpeg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12792,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/african-countries-must-oppose-measures-at-cop27-that-prevents-africa-from-making-full-use-of-its-fossil-fuels\/","url_meta":{"origin":14733,"position":5},"title":"African Countries Must Oppose Measures at COP27 that Prevents Africa from Making Full Use of its Fossil Fuels","author":"","date":"November 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I am going to COP27 because I believe if Africa is not on the table it will be on the menu. Let me be clear, those of us who are advocating for African countries to continue using their oil and gas resources are not \u201cignoring\u201d the world\u2019s green agenda \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14733"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14735,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14733\/revisions\/14735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}