EAPC: Not Just Petroleum

Ministers representing the energy, environment, and mining sectors from the East Africa Community (EAC) gathered at the 4^th East African Petroleum Conference (EAPC) held in Mombasa, Kenya last week to discuss not only the community’s hydrocarbon potential, but also the role renewable energies could play in the region’s development. Members of the EAC include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The EAC member states announced in January 2008 that it would spend about $1.8 billion on the implementation of its power master plan in the next seven years, according to Magaga Alot, spokesperson for the EAC. One initiative that the group has created is the East Africa Power Master Plan which will interconnect the power grids of the member states to enable at least half of the combined population to gain access to modern energy services by 2015.

At the event, Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister and Local Government Minister Musalia Mudavadi urged investors to not just look into petrol, but concentrate on wind and solar energies as well. He said that investments in petroleum and gas exploration by the EAC states should correlate with efforts to adapt to the use of sustainable energy sources.

The region is abundant with energy sources like hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind, which if exploited, would help combat thermal pollution. Mudavadi said that the adoption of these alternative energy sources would also serve as a defense mechanism against frequent and unpredictable fluctuations in global oil prices. Currently the region imports the vast majority of its petroleum products with only Tanzania being a significant producer of natural gas. That is about to change however when Uganda begins producing oil in 2010 or 2011. Adding alternative energy sources will also aid the EAC in lowering its energy import bill.

"Uncertainties visited on our regional markets by fluctuations in the global oil markets calls for urgent strategies on more sustainable alternative energy sources," Mudavadi said.