WINDHOEK - Water and energy ministers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have urged member states of the regional bloc to commit to the regional priority power projects aimed at enhancing security of energy supply. 

During the joint meeting of regional ministers, the SADC Secretariat was directed to present a comprehensive report on energy projects that are under preparation and development by regional project preparation facilities.

Ministers directed the Secretariat, assisted by Regional Electricity Regulatory Association of Southern Africa (RERA), to establish appropriate structures under RERA to develop and implement regional regulatory initiatives pertaining to other energy sub-sectors namely; petroleum, gas and renewable energy under its expanded mandate.

At the meeting, which took place at Windhoek hotel on Friday, SADC ministers expressed their commitment to the regional priority power projects aimed at enhancing security of energy supply and considered and approved the SADC Industrial Energy Efficiency Programme (SIEEP) as a programme that promotes energy efficiency and energy conservation practices at the industrial sector level. The ministers also approved the three Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) membership categories of national power utility member, operating member and market participant member.

The ministerial meeting that was hosted by the Namibian government was attended by SADC ministers or their representatives from Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from international and cooperating partners, United Nations agencies and implementing agencies, development partners, youth representatives and was preceded by a three-day meeting of senior officials responsible for the energy and water sectors.

In the energy sector, the deliberations focused on security of energy supply, energy infrastructure development, progress on targets from the previous ministerial meeting decisions. The ministerial meeting further reviewed the regional power programmes and projects, petroleum and gas subprogrammes, renewable energy and energy efficiency issues, energy sector regulatory subprogramme implemented by the subsidiary organisations and the International cooperating partners supporting SADC Energy programme.