Powering Africa
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The demand for nuclear energy as the most efficient form of energy that does not emit carbon dioxide will grow in the future as urgency grows for finding solutions to global warming and climate change, participants in this session heard.
Serge Lafont, Chairman, Areva, South Africa, predicted there would be a huge demand for nuclear energy as attention turns towards global warming and climate change. He said there was resistance to nuclear energy in the past, but he expects the focus to move away from the negative aspects of the source. Referring to the problems most African countries have in gaining access to nuclear energy, he said the solution lies in regional cooperation in which several countries work together, rather than trying to go it alone.
Lutaf Kassam, Group Managing Director, Industrial Promotion Services, Kenya, said poorer countries in Africa face huge difficulties in gaining access to nuclear energy. These include the inability to pay the high costs and a lack of people with the necessary skills. Kassam also called for private sector assistance in new energy projects and a more proactive approach. "They [private sector companies] seem to be waiting for government to come up with ideas instead of initiating new projects themselves," he said.
Alec Erwin, Minister of Public Enterprises of South Africa, said the prospects for economic growth and industrial development in Africa are low without adequate access to energy supplies. Illustrating the effects of economic growth on energy supplies, he said South Africa has always had surplus capacity, but after a period of sustained growth, they found by 2004 it no longer had spare capacity. He noted that the country now faces the challenge of rebuilding capacity and developing the necessary skills to secure power sources. Erwin said South Africa is investing in nuclear energy because it is the only viable energy source that is free of carbon dioxide emissions.
Steve J. Lennon, Managing Director, Resources and Strategy, Eskom, South Africa, said South Africa is in the fortunate position of having a good infrastructure on which to build more energy capacity. He said Eskom is looking at various ways to increase capacity to meet the rate of economic growth. These include re-commissioning old power stations that have been mothballed during quieter periods, importing energy from Mozambique and Botswana and planning new energy sources.
Gérard Wolf, Senior Executive Vice-President, International Operations, Electricité de France (EDF), said Africa needs more skills development if it is to develop energy resources. He said there is a need for African people with the necessary skills in the field of engineering and nuclear science.
One of the central themes during the session was the need for conservation and efficiency, which panellists agreed is as important as developing new energy plants. Erwin said South Africa has launched a campaign to conserve energy and its success has been "a real eye opener". The campaign entails displaying the level of demand for electricity on television screens and calls on consumers to regulate their use of appliances accordingly.
Wolf said there is a widespread perception that efficient use of electricity occurs only in wealthy countries. He quoted as an example a project he worked on in Laos, where electricity was provided to a rural community. Initially, many people kept their lights on during the day because the supply was free of charge. However, after a campaign in which they were told that this diverts electricity from schools and clinics where vaccines are stored in refrigerators, the practice of leaving the lights on stopped. Responding to questions about the role of renewable and alternative energy sources, Wolf said they are definitely part of solving the problem, but cannot be seen as the complete solution. "They can definitely play a complementary role but cannot be a principal solution," he said, adding that high costs would always make it only a partial solution.
Lennon said the generation of hydroelectricity is Africa’s best renewable energy resource and that more attention should be paid to it as a possible solution.Brent Hegger, Chief Executive Officer, COEGA Aluminum, Alcan, South Africa, said in summing up that long-term planning and diversification is needed to ensure there are enough energy sources to support rapid economic development. He said conservation and efficiency in conjunction with the development of new technologies are the key to controlling the use of energy.
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