Determining the Optimum Capacities for the Maguga Expansion and the Lower Maguga Hydropower Scheme
Authors: Edwin Lillie1
Conference: AFRICA 2023
Date: July 10-12, 2023
1 Knight Piésold (Pty) Ltd., Sandton, South Africa
INTRODUCTION
The Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) is a state-owned entity and the only electricity utility in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The EEC’s internal generation comprises mainly hydropower, with a total installed capacity of 61.1 MW and 2 x 4.5 MW standby diesel generators. The hydro generation is used mainly for peak shaving and the peak load of approximately 231MW is supported through imports from Eskom (RSA), and EDM (Mozambique).
Based on the current EEC load growth, it is anticipated that the maximum demand will be in the region of 350MW within the next 20 years. And with the current power purchase agreement with Eskom lapsing in 2025, coupled with the slow rate of investment in new generation and transmission projects in the region, the Kingdom of Eswatini faces a major risk of not having enough energy for industrial, commercial, and domestic needs to drive economic growth.
The EEC has realigned its strategic objectives to focus on improving business sustainability by increasing internal generation to reduce the ever-increasing cost of electricity imports. Several initiatives are currently being explored in the form of promoting private participation through independent power producers (IPPs), including feasibility studies for hydropower, coal-fired thermal power generation and other renewable energy such as wind and solar. The Lower Maguga Hydro Power Scheme (Lower Maguga HPS) development and the Maguga Hydro Power Station Expansion (Maguga HPS Expansion) form part of the above-mentioned initiative.
Evaluation of the feasibility (technical and economic) of adding extra generation equipment at the current Maguga Power Station was also requested as it has been observed over the years that the Maguga dam spills for extended periods and this can be used to generate more electricity for EEC.
The purpose of this Options Study is to provide a high-level technical, financial, and economic assessment of the various scheme layouts and capacities for the Lower Maguga Hydro Power Scheme and for the expansion of the existing Maguga Hydro Power Station to determine an optimal layout and size based on the available water and associated head for hydropower generation potential. The optimal scheme layout and size will be investigated in more detail during the next phase of the feasibility study.
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