Africa’s main power transition by way of wind energy

Siemens Gamesa has been a pioneer in wind energy projects in Africa for two decades. Find out how the company continues to lead the sustainable energy transition on the continent.

Siemens Gamesa has been a pioneer in wind energy projects in Africa for 20 years. The installations have a total output of 3.4 GW, which is more than half of the total wind power capacity installed on the continent. Energy access rates are lowest in the world in Africa and electricity costs are among the highest. Rapidly growing economies and population groups are increasing energy demand and Siemens Gamesa is determined to be at the forefront of the sustainable energy transition on the continent.

Today, more than 600 million Africans, half the continent’s population, do not have reliable access to power, while one in two who contribute to the world’s population between now and 2040 will be African. These profound demographic changes will drive economic growth, infrastructure development and energy demand on the continent.

Africa is a very diverse continent and encompasses many different cultures, economies, religions and traditions. At the same time, the 54 countries on the continent have one thing in common: the growing demand for energy, which is faster than that of any other continent.

Africa’s abundant renewable energy sources form the basis for a sustainable future of cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy for its people.

Africa has the potential and ability to use its renewable resources to power its future with clean energy. Compared to other solutions, this is economically viable and offers significant advantages in terms of local value creation, energy security and environmental sustainability, mainly through the creation of jobs, the improvement of the living conditions and the standard of living for the majority of the continent’s population, as well as the reduction in the number of Greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.

More and more countries have recognized such benefits and are implementing ambitious renewable energy plans and actively pursuing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Examples include Egypt, which has pledged to source 42% of its total electricity from renewable sources by 2035, or Morocco, with a renewable energy target of 52% by 2030. South Africa plans to add an additional 3.3 GW of wind capacity in the near future five years to install, covering almost 20% of the country’s electricity consumption.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 944 MW of wind energy capacity was installed in Africa and the Middle East in 2019, of which Siemens Gamesa’s latest wind farm project with 262 MW in Egypt supplies more than 250,000 households. The preliminary forecasts by GWEC Market Intelligence predict wind power capacity of 10.7 GW to be installed between 2020 and 2024. This corresponds to an increase of 167% compared to the current market status.

Siemens Gamesa has been supporting the increasing energy demand in Africa for 20 years and has completed projects in Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Tunisia and Algeria with a market share of 55% on the continent. In total, Siemens Gamesa installed a wind capacity of 3.4 GW to help reduce over 8 million tons of CO2 emissions, which corresponds to 140 million trees that would have to be grown annually to avoid the same CO2 savings.

Siemens Gamesa maintains its position as market leader in the most important wind markets in Africa, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, which today account for 91% of the installed capacity in Africa. The blade factory in Tangier (Morocco) is a commitment to the sustainable future of the entire region and the first blade factory on the African continent. As these markets continue to mature in this decade, emerging markets will accelerate further regional market growth. Siemens Gamesa is playing an active role in entering new markets and recently announced a market breakthrough in Djibouti with the installation of the country’s first 59 MW wind farm, due to be completed in 2021.

Siemens Gamesa is a leader in the sustainable energy transition in Africa. The company continues to expand its position as number one in the continent’s wind energy market and is active in both established and developing wind energy markets. Siemens Gamesa is committed to promoting environmental sustainability and economic development in all of its activities and contributes to the well-being of the people in the societies in which it operates.

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