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New $1.3 bln energy fund for transmission links across Southern Africa

The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and investment consultants Environment Fund Managers on Tuesday introduced a brand-new $1.3 billion target fund to build highvoltage transmission lines connecting nations in the region.

The Regional Transmission Facilities Funding Facility ( RTIFF) begins with $20 million in commitments from SAPP, and aims for a first close of $500 million in 2025 in a quote to overcome a crucial challenge constraining development in a progressing energy sector

Finance will be raised from public and economic sector. financiers in your area and worldwide, a joint declaration stated.

Despite an abundance of energy sources in Africa, an absence of connections in between nations has actually obstructed combination and trade amongst SAPP's 12 members, that include local financial heavyweight South Africa and leading copper exporter Zambia.

RTIFF dismantles this by enabling the economic sector to work along with public sector energies to present brand-new transmission lines at scale, Victor Mapani, chairperson of the SAPP executive committee, stated in a declaration.

The facility, with a fund life of in between 20 and 25 years, is expected to reach a last close of $1.3 billion within two years.

A renewable energy push, consisting of wind, solar and hydro, has actually highlighted the lack of connections across the area where projects, frequently in remote locations, are not able to link to national grids.

A competitive electrical energy market with daily trades, SAPP is intending to link Angola, Malawi and Tanzania to the platform and has recognized eight top priority transmission tasks, officials stated at a press launch.

Because Malawi is currently being connected to Mozambique and Tanzania is being connected to Zambia, the next crucial project is the connection of Angola to Namibia, Stephen Dihwa, executive director of SAPP told .

The Angola-Namibia interconnector is approximated to cost $ 356 million, he said, around a tenth of the total financial investment required for transmission lines by 2040 to enhance regional combination.

South Africa's debt-ridden power utility Eskom, which needs around 350 billion rand ($ 18.41 billion) over the next decade to update its transmission network, is charming the economic sector for investment to conquer the country's worst electrical power shortages on record.

The absence of investment in grid infrastructure is among the factors for continuous blackouts in many parts of Southern Africa, Amit Mohan, head of personal credit at CFM stated.

(source: Reuters)