Cape Town – Eswatini’s efforts to achieve full electricity access by 2030 gained traction this week as the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, HRH Prince Lonkhokhela, held strategic meetings with independent power producers and international financiers at the Africa Energy Week in Cape Town.
The minister engaged directly with representatives from InnoVent and Sturdee Energy, companies tasked with delivering major solar energy projects under the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority’s procurement programme. These include the 10MW solar plant in Nsoko and the combined 30MW facilities planned for Balekane and Ngwenya.
Prince Lonkhokhela pushed for quicker progress on these installations, meeting with the firms’ top executives to discuss ways of accelerating project delivery timelines.
Beyond solar energy, the minister also held sessions with a mix of investors interested in exploring opportunities within Eswatini’s power sector, mining, and fuel production industries. He pledged continued government engagement to facilitate partnerships through the relevant ministries and parastatals.
The World Bank also featured on the minister’s agenda. He sat down with the institution’s Regional Energy Manager to discuss the newly approved ASCENT project, a key initiative designed to speed up national electrification efforts. Their discussions extended to tariff modeling and how Eswatini can balance power generation with affordability for consumers in the long run.
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