Swaziland: New projects aim for power self-reliance

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy (MNRE) and the Swaziland Electricity Company (SEC) are planning for the future after the expiry of a 25-year supply contract with South Africa’s Eskom in 2025. SEC is planning up to 495MW of new capacity by then, in line with the 2014-22 Sustainable Energy For All Country Action Plan, whose total cost is estimated at $1.86bn. The current drought means most of hydropower plants are operating below their capacity and the country is relying on Eskom for 80% of its needs.