AfDB to provide up to $1 billion for hydropower plants in Africa

• 4 months ago (2023-12-05)
• David Flin

Africa 303 Hydropower 112

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A dozen hydropower plants across Africa could receive $1 billion from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to upgrade equipment and boost power generation and potentially speed up the transition from fossil fuels.

Twelve projects in South Africa, Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are expected to benefit from the funding. João Cunha, head of the renewable energy division at AfDB, said: “The upgrades are set to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.” The AfDB said that hydropower could be a key element in meeting the accelerating demand for renewable energy.

A report from the AfDB in collaboration with the International Hydropower Association (IHA) in July found that out of the 87 hydropower stations in Africa it looked at, 21 are in high need of refurbishment and 36 in medium need of refurbishment. These represent installed capacities of 4.6 GW and 10 GW respectively.