Politics
Obama’s Power Africa Initiative Showing Results but Draws Criticism
Power Africa counters by noting on their website that private sector partners that are focused on mini-grid and distributed power services to rural populations have commitments to “700,000 new households and businesses served and over $1.1 billion in investment.”
Some critics have also pointed to Power Africa’s “clean energy” definition. In fact, in the two “Power Africa” speeches given during his trip to Africa in June 2013, President Obama never mentions solar, wind and geothermal power. In fact, the closest he comes is saying investments will include “cleaner energy.” President Obama told his African audience that “Power Africa” will supply “the energy needed to lift people out of poverty” and “support clean energy to protect our planet and combat climate change.”
Looking at the list of proposed projects from the 36 private partners, burning natural gas and biomass fuels are considered “clean energy” under the Power Africa rules. Just days after Obama left Africa, the U.S. Embassy in Liberia sponsored a July 11 workshop with three U.S. companies to hype biomass gasifier technology for powering remote areas. The problem is that that technology is a double climate change whammy since it burns biomass to manufacture “syngas,” which is then sold to be burned again as fuel, according to a November 2012 National Renewable Energy Laboratory review of gasifier technology.
There are other proposed Power Africa projects being questioned as being “clean” energy.
Under Power Africa, US-based Symbion Power aims to catalyze $1.8 billion, including acquiring a 972 megawatt gas-fired power plant in Ugheli, developing a 100 megawatt fast-track gas-fired generation project in Ajaokuta, and is developing a 450 megawatt gas-fired power plant in Ghana.
KMRI, in partnership with its joint venture partner in Tanzania, Symbion Power, seeks to complete in the next 18 months the Kigoma Project – a 4 megawatt biomass power plant, the Tunduru Project – a 1 megawatt biomass power plant, and aims to develop 15 megawatt of biomass installations in Ghana.
Furthermore, IAP Worldwide Services is using natural gas and other available fuels to power turbine and engine driven generators; Husk Power Systems seeks to complete installation of 200 decentralized biomass mini-power plants in Tanzania and GG Energy Holdings will develop and operate facilities utilizing biomass, as well as natural gas technologies.
In East Africa, Black Rhino seeks to complete the Pagak Petroleum Refinery – an integrated energy security project creating the trade of low cost fuel and low cost power between Ethiopia and South Sudan. Some of the “new” projects were actually under way before Power Africa was announced, and there are other concerns that Power Africa is being co-opted by huge corporations like GE. President Obama’s choice to give a second energy speech in Tanzania was during a tour of the diesel-powered Ubungo electric plant recently upgraded by GE and Symbion Power.
