Small-scale power generation plants driven by hydrocarbon sources and biomass are still likely to play a valuable part in rolling out electricity in regions of Africa unserved by grid power and where renewable resources are insufficient to sustain a reliable energy supply.
According to Chris Dalgliesh, partner and principal environmental consultant at SRK Consulting’s Cape Town office, the lack of a secure baseload energy supply in certain areas can be a key inhibitor to local or regional investment and economic development, and many countries, especially those not on a grid, are looking beyond the traditional large-grid model to create broader access to electricity.
“In some cases, a small thermal plant generating 25–100MW of power can be a more affordable developmental intervention for a local area, especially if it does not incur the often-prohibitive costs of transmission infrastructure across long distances,” said Dalgliesh. “Our experience in various parts of the world suggests that countries well-endowed with coal, gas, or oil, as well as surplus biomass and combustible waste, can benefit from these options while responsibly managing the environmental impacts.”
Acknowledged: African Mining
