MBABANE (16 August 2025): Eswatini is set to become a major electricity exporter, contributing power estimated between 500mw – 1000mw to the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) by 2030 when a slew of new electricity generators come on stream.
Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) managing director Ernest Mkhonta says Government has already approved a mining licence for EEC to finally go ahead with a 300megawatt (MW) thermal power station.
The plant will be at Lubhuku in the Lubombo basin. The new output will meet Eswatini’s maximum power demand of 215MW, leaving an estimated excess of 85KW for export.
At the same time, EEC is also moving ahead with an innovative geothermal power generation plant. Results from the second of four studies that have drilled 7 wells so far, show each well delivering between 40mw and 80mw, translating to electricity ranging from a minimum of 500 MW to 1000MW of clean, permanent renewable energy. “We are waiting for funding for the final two studies after which we start installing the generators”, said Mkhonta.
Mr. Mkhonta says they are very confident of the success of this new venture as geothermal power generation has been successfully piloted in several countries around the world.
Geothermal, unlike current domestic power generation from hydro and solar that currently contribute 30% of the country’s needs, is immune from climate change. Historically South Africa’s ESKOM filled the Kingdom’s electricity shortfall through a series of 25-year supply agreements – renewed this year for a further 10 years. “The beauty of thermal is that it does not respond to weather conditions and will produce power whether it rains, floods or drought as over 70 years of examples from around the world have shown.”
The next stage of Eswatini’s journey towards regional power supplier is locking in the funding to begin construction. “We are engaging with credible partners and financiers to support the project. Construction is expected to take between 4 and 4.5 years, putting the generator on schedule to bring power on stream by 2030.
At current power consumption, almost all the geothermal power will be exported to the power-thirsty Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP). But once the thermal power station comes on stream, its entire output will go to SAPP.
Serious drought over the past few years has severely impacted on flow of the Zambezi River, affecting Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SAPP is currently running a major power deficit with several countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa suffering regular power outages and load shedding in some cases going to a cumulative 18 hours a day.
The new projects will not only earn the country much needed foreign currency while boosting the regional power pool, but also promote new industrial development that will be attracted by electricity security at low cost.
The kingdom currently produces power from 4 EEC owned hydro electricity generators at Luphohlo near Mbabane, Maguga on the Nkomazi River and Mkinkomo and Maguduza on the Lusutfu. Private power producers are now also joining the electricity supply market, with Ubombo Sugar selling excess power from their biomass fired co-generation at Big Bend. A new 10 hydro power station, the Middle Maguduza funded by a busket of investors led by the Public Service Pension Fund and Old Mutual is currently under construction on the Lusutfu River.
Mr. Mkhonta said they anticipate the Eswatini Minerals Committee will issue the mining licence within a month or sometime in September 2025 which will enable the power company to start the process of sourcing financing for the Lubhuku generator – a mega project that has been mooted since 1974. This generator is expected to be producing electricity by 2030.
Jm/today/16.08.2025
