BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MBABANE- Eswatini intends to transform its electricity position from being predominantly a consumer to becoming a contributor to the regional power market, with the country targeting more than 1 000 megawatts of domestic generation by 2030.
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini announced the ambition while addressing the Africa Oil Week (AOW) Energy Summit in Accra, Ghana, where he outlined the Kingdom’s plans to strengthen energy security and expand domestic generation.
Dlamini said Eswatini currently generated approximately 30 per cent of the electricity it consumed, importing the balance.
The country’s electricity access rate currently stands at approximately 88 per cent, with government targeting universal access by 2030.
He said energy security had been elevated to a strategic national priority under the leadership of His Majesty King Mswati III.
According to the Prime Minister, Eswatini’s strategy is to significantly expand domestic generation through a combination of hydropower, biomass cogeneration, clean coal technologies and utility-scale solar supported by storage.
The target is to exceed 1 000MW of domestic generation capacity by 2030.
Dlamini said the country had also opened its electricity sector to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), but emphasised that their participation should go beyond simply providing construction or technical services.
He said IPPs should participate as developers, investors and owners in the country’s energy sector.
The approach, he said, was intended to attract investment while also creating deeper and more sustainable participation in the energy value chain.
Eswatini is also strengthening its petroleum security through investment in a Strategic Oil Reserve Facility.
Dlamini said the facility formed part of the country’s broader effort to improve energy security and reduce vulnerability to external supply disruptions.
Beyond domestic generation, Eswatini is seeking to position itself within the regional electricity market through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
The Prime Minister said the country wanted to move from being a consumer to becoming a contributor.
He described the ambition as interdependence from a position of strength.
The move is expected to complement Eswatini’s efforts to increase domestic generation and strengthen its ability to participate meaningfully in regional energy trade.
Dlamini told the summit that Eswatini’s energy strategy was guided by principles of local ownership and national energy security.
He said the country was looking to attract credible investment into generation, transmission, storage, petroleum infrastructure and emerging energy technologies.
However, he stressed that investment should create enduring value beyond physical infrastructure.
Investments, he said, should contribute to job creation, skills development, research capacity and the growth of indigenous companies that could eventually stand as equal commercial partners.
The Prime Minister’s remarks come as African countries grapple with growing energy demand, limited generation capacity and the need to expand electricity access while supporting industrialisation.
For Eswatini, increasing domestic generation is also intended to support economic development by ensuring that businesses and industries have access to reliable and competitively priced electricity.
The Prime Minister said Africa could not industrialise without abundant and reliable power.
He said energy policy therefore had to be aligned with industrial policy if African countries were to beneficiate their resources, manufacture products locally and reduce dependence on imported goods.
He invited investors and developers attending the summit to explore opportunities in Eswatini’s expanding energy sector.
Dlamini also invited delegates to attend the SADC Sustainable Energy Week, scheduled for March 15–19, 2027, in Eswatini.
The event will focus on unlocking investment for sustainable energy, energy access and energy security in the SADC region.
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(Courtesy Pic)
