Speakers:

South Africa’s state-owned power utility plans to retire close to 10 GW of its coal power generation fleet and replace it with renewables. Eskom has identified a pipeline of ‘Just Energy Transition’ projects, and intends to secure financing with the R131 billion concessional funding raised from the international financiers who have committed to supporting the decarbonisation initiatives in developing countries, including South Africa.

De Ruyter to outline Eskom’s Just Energy Transition Strategy and the opportunities for partnerships with investors.

At UNFCCC COP26, the governments of U.K, France, Germany, U.S and the European Union signed the Just Transition Partnership (JETP) with South Africa where they pledged to mobilise $8.5 billion over the next 3-5 years to help accelerate the country’s energy transition. JETP’s objectives also include supporting South Africa’s pathway to a low carbon economy, and climate resilient society.

Session focus:

• Progress update on JETP
• Financing instruments available under the partnership
• Beneficiary industries
• Opportunities for affected workers and communities

Mozambique has vast potential for renewable energy. Creating a bankable pipeline of projects and attracting investment is key to fostering the country’s energy transition.

Key discussions in breakaway session:
• Showcasing projects that have achieved financial close
• Deep dive on the policy framework, identifying barriers to investment, and making recommendations for tackling them

Regional integration of energy systems holds vast opportunity for Africa, in terms of cross-border trading and increased grid flexibility. A functional regional power pool in the Southern African region would allow for an increased share of renewable energy. How can regional integration, via power pools, drive an accelerated uptake of wind and solar while presenting an attractive economic opportunity to governments across the Continent?

Session focus:
• Cross border energy trading
• Integrating and interconnecting different regional integration and interconnection
• Renewable energy offtake via regional power pools

Active connection of developers with bankable projects with financiers.
• Pitching
• Investment facilitation
• Project investment

Hydropower is currently Africa's leading renewable energy generation technology. Despite the hydro being the leading renewable energy source, the continent has barely scratched the surface in terms of harnessing its potential. Africa’s hydropower potential is estimated to be around 340 GW, of which only 11% is exploited. Hydroelectricity can help improve energy access in Africa.

Session focus: • Bankability of hydropower projects
• Small hydro investment opportunities for IPPs
• Pumped storage
• Project updates

South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is one of the most successful renewable energy tenders in the world. With over 5 successful bidding rounds and over US$20.5 billion in private investment for renewable energy projects, African countries can learn some important lessons they can implement in their own auction systems.

Session focus:
• Why South Africa opted for open tendering instead of feed-in tariffs (FITs) for renewable energy
• Competitive pricing
• Local financing

The increased penetration of electric vehicles offers ideal opportunities for the broader introduction of renewables to the transport sector. Rolling out of green energy connected charging infrastructure will help decarbonise the transport sector. This session will explore the relationship between renewable energy and mobility and outline the opportunities for investment in Africa.

Key discussions in breakaway session:
• eMobility ecosystem
• Renewable powered charging infrastructure
• Policy and regulatory framework
• EV Manufacturing

Renewables energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) are becoming increasingly attractive for Africa’s commercial and industrial sector (C&I) as they seek energy independence and reduce their electricity bills. This session will explore renewable energy opportunities Africa’s C&I sector, as well showcase case studies from key players in this market.

Key discussions in breakaway session: • Opportunities for wheeling
• Wind embedded generation projects
• Potential off-taker industries
• Energy trading

Closing remarks and announcements

Speakers:

Traditional financing methods for renewable energy projects don't always work for African conditions. This session will explore what innovative finance options lenders and investors can curate for financing African renewable energy projects.

Session focus:
• Project financing
• Alternative guarantee instruments outside of govt guarantees
• Blended finance
• Green Bonds
• Concessional finance

Africa is the true “sun continent”, boasting 60% of the best solar resources worldwide. Despite this potential, Africa currently holds only 1% of solar PV capacity.

Already the cheapest source of power in many parts of Africa, solar can help increase energy access and help end energy poverty on the continent. This session will explore how Africa’s can attract more investment to maximise its solar energy potential.

Session focus:
• Opportunities for private investors
• Promising markets to utility & large-scale projects
• Private PPAs
• Financing models

Africa has 59,000GW of onshore and offshore wind energy potential - enough to meet the continent’s energy demand 250 times over. Despite this much potential, the continent has only harnessed 0.01 per cent of its wind resource, amounting to over 7GW of installed wind capacity with only a handful of Sub- Saharan countries with wind farms outside of South Africa.

This panel examines wind energy's success stories, and the challenges that must be overcome through closer collaboration between project developers, financiers and the public sector to unlock Africa’s tremendous wind potential.

Session Focus:
• Lessons learned from wind energy's success stories in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Challenges affecting the Scaling of wind energy across Sub-Saharan Africa
• Mobilising investment for a rapid scale up of wind energy

Equity and inclusion are very crucial for Africa’s socio-economic development. Achieving gender equality and increasing female representation in the African energy transition will be crucial for its success. Studies show that businesses improve profits, performance, innovation and creativity with increased female representation.

The session will explore how more women can play leading roles in driving renewable energy deployment in Africa.

Key discussions in breakaway session:
• Gender diversity of renewable energy companies’ workforce
• Women in decision-making positions
• Possible solutions for increasing female representation in Africa’s energy transition
• Industry gender programs and policies

Renewable energy could help decarbonize mines and improve their ESG positioning. Renewables also help reduce operational costs, in turn improving a mine’s financial sustainability.

This session will focus on how mining companies are embracing energy self- generation, what regulatory/technical hurdles need to be overcome before such projects get off the ground and how these projects will be financed.

Session focus:
• Investment opportunities for renewable energy projects in Africa’s mining sector
• South African miners’ 4GW renewables pipeline
• Hybrid systems
• Mining PPAs

Active connection of developers with bankable projects with financiers. Matchmaking and investment signing ceremonies.
• Pitching
• Investment facilitation
• Project investment

West Africa’s renewable energy potential is largely untapped. Despite boasting a combined GDP of over US$800 billion, the region has not attracted significant renewable energy investment compared to North and Southern Africa.

This session will explore some of the intricacies of investing in renewable energy in West Africa, as well as opportunities in this promising market.

Session focus:
• Nigeria’s market
• Ghana’s market
• Regional Electricity Trade
• Private PPA opportunities

East Africa has some of the strongest winds on the continent, making it ideal for wind energy projects. Kenya has also started tapping into its wind energy resources with two IPP-developed wind projects having been connected to the grid recently. East Africa is also home to the Great Rift Valley, a promising source for geothermal power. Significant opportunities for hydropower and solar energy also exist in the region.

Key discussions in breakaway session:
• Key markets in EAC market
• Regional Electricity Trade
• Private PPAs

Energy storage is considered the holy grail of the renewable energy market. Storage technology allows for smooth integration of renewables to the grid and help reduce the intermittence of renewables. Africa’s energy storage market is poised for growth, with South Africa’s market alone predicted to reach over US$4 billion over the next few years. This session will explore how bankable storage components are and what the challenges are to investing in energy storage systems.

Session focus:
• Solar-Wind-Storage hybrid systems opportunities
• Technology types and costs
• Investor appetite
• Financing of energy storage systems

Africa’s off-grid energy sector has the potential to become a $24 billion market per year. Some 5 million pay-as-you-go home solar systems have been sold on the continent over the last few years. Revenues from the off-grid solar industry continue to grow rapidly, increasing by 30 percent annually. African households spend an average of $200 per year of electricity. With over 120 million African households still without access to power, a lot of potential commercial value exists in this underserved market. Significant opportunities also exist in the productive-use-of-energy market.

Session focus:
• Solar home system sales
• Healthcare & public infrastructure off- grid systems
• Agriculture and productive use of energy
• Funding models

Event Closing Ceremony Hall 8