VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Wednesday called for the diversification of energy sources through the adoption of renewable energy to boost the region's development.
Speaking at the official opening of the SADC Sustainable Energy Week underway in Zimbabwe's resort city of Victoria Falls, SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi said energy security and universal access remain fundamental enablers of regional integration, industrialization and sustainable economic growth.
He stressed the need for energy diversification, noting that the region's installed electricity capacity is still dominated by coal-fired plants, accounting for 59 percent of electricity generation, while hydropower contributes 24 percent.
"Encouragingly, the share of lower-carbon sources, including solar, wind and natural gas, has increased significantly from 3 percent to 12 percent over the past decade, reflecting steady progress in diversifying the regional energy mix," he said.
With about only 56 percent of the SADC population having access to electricity, Magosi said the region must continue exploring a broad range of technologies to strengthen energy security and sustainability.
"These include clean coal technologies to improve efficiency and reduce emissions from existing assets, as well as nuclear energy as a potential baseload option, where feasible and in line with international safety standards," he said.
He noted that climate-related droughts between 2024 and 2025, which lowered river levels and reduced hydropower output, exposed the region's vulnerability and the need to diversify energy sources.
"As we can not predict the frequency or impact of such events, diversifying our energy mix is imperative. This includes gas-to-power options, cleaner coal technologies, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, emerging solutions such as green hydrogen, and virtual power plants supported by commercial and residential rooftop solar," he added.
Under the theme of "Driving Regional Economic Growth through Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency", the energy week brought together more than 500 policymakers, energy experts, academia, financiers, industry leaders and key stakeholders from across the region and beyond to discuss issues on energy development. ■