Africa received 5 million euros ($6.5 million) in grant from partner Europe to bolster the two continents’ broad energy sector cooperation with a potential boost to Africa’s renewable energy exports to European neighbors.
In a recent meeting in Vienna, African and European leaders agreed to double the capacity of cross-border electricity interconnections both within Africa and between the two continents.
The government said the grant will also finance renewable energy projects in response to the challenges of energy and climate.
The two continents hold a common vision of setting up at least 10,000 megawatts of hydropower, 5,000 MW of wind and 500 MW of solar energy by 2020, to power not only more than 100 million Africans but also European countries.
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Capacity in other renewable resources such as geothermal and modern biomass will also be tripled as agreed upon in the partnership meeting.
The Africa-European Union energy partnership meeting in Vienna rested on the theme of attaining energy security and accessibility between the two continents. It was a follow-up of a meeting held in Cairo in January. The union is one of eight programs in a larger political joint venture between Europe and Africa.
The recent gathering comes as European countries’ energy needs continue to increase.
European analyst Paul Belkin said Europe’s energy imports will likely increase from 50 percent to 65 percent of its energy needs by 2030.
Conversely, United States Energy Information Administration data show that Africa is a major net energy exporter with large production of oil and gas going to Europe and other markets.
Europe also experienced a trade deficit with Africa amounting to 38 billion euros ($49.72 billion) largely due to a recent energy price hike, the European Commission said.
About 62 percent of Europe’s imports from Algeria, Libya, Nigeria and Angola are mineral fuels.
The United States statistical agency also cited Africa as the world’s largest consumer of biomass energy such as firewood, agricultural residues, animal wastes and charcoal.
But a United Nations study found out that Africa’s other renewable sources are under-exploited and unharnessed. Africa’s geothermal energy potential stands at 9,000 MW but only about 60 MW has been used in Kenya, for instance.
When explored, it will scale up the electric generating capacity particularly of Eastern and Southern Africa.
