UK tips Zambia on sustainable energy
By Tony Nkhoma
ZAMBIA needs a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable energy, the British government has said.
British High Commissioner to Zambia, Rebecca Terzeon urged Zambia and the rest of Africa to expand and unlock investments in renewable energy.
Terzeon was speaking at the just-ended Energy Forum for Africa Conference (EFAC) held in Lusaka.
The theme of the conference was ‘Investment Opportunities in the Energy sector in Zambia and Africa’.
Terzeon urged Zambia and the rest of Africa to expand and unlock investments in renewable energy.
“As a generation expands, the next frontier is unlocking investment in grid infrastructure, especially to accommodate variable renewable energy,” she said.
Terzeon noted that transparent pricing and innovative financing models for grid transmission and distribution were essential to attracting private capital to a sector that had traditionally been government-funded.
“Together, we should light the path to a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable energy future for Zambia. Essential for growth and development, which Zambia, Zambia’s people, the region, and its partners all stand to benefit from,” she said.
Terzeon urged the government to take bold decisions to help grow investments in new power generation if the deficit being experienced in some parts of the continent were to be addressed.
“It takes bold and determined steps to reform the power sector, and accelerate investment in new generation, underpinned by Zambia’s Integrated Resource Plan and the M300 Compact, which Mr Hakainde Hichilema signed in Dar es Salaam in January this year,” she said.
She said the United Kingdom was committed to supporting the government to address the energy crisis in the country.
She said Zambia’s power sector reforms should be anchored on the open access mechanism (OAM) and the creation of an independent system and market operator (ISMO) to create the foundation for a transparent and rules-based electricity market.
