Vision of interconnectivity
Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, said that global energy interconnection offers tremendous opportunities.
“We have worked with Chinese companies to build hydropower stations and power transmission networks, and now we have a steady supply of electricity, greatly enhancing our competitiveness,” he said.
More reliable electricity not only satisfies the demand of domestic industrialization, but also has been exported to countries such as Djibouti and Sudan, he added. Energy interconnection, serving as a powerful driving force of Africa’s regional economic development, is taking shape, as more and more power is being exported to more African nations like Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
“China’s experience in clean energy development and utilization can provide sustainable solutions for Africa and boost its green growth, through a series of demonstration projects, capacity building, and financial platform building,” Shi Dinghuan, Chairman of China Renewable Energy Society told Chinafrica.
By 2050, Africa could produce 3.3 billion mwh of clean energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2.8 billion metric tons annually, said Liu Zhenya.
“Through extensive development of clean energy, and construction of large-scale power grids, Africa’s energy penetration will be upgraded to fundamentally address the problem of the lack of electricity, while boosting cleaner development,” said Liu. Comments to yunan@chinafrica.cn