Green Energy Plenary Agenda

Government Keynote Welcome

Energy Leaders Debate

The fundamental question remains: ‘How can the African continent attain sustainability and increase access to modern energy services for its people? This session unites Africa’s energy leaders to share new perspectives and solutions on the role of renewable energy in increasing access to modern energy.  

Areas for discussion include: 

• How can Africa explore innovative solutions to enable more energy and climate neutrality in the context of affordability and equality – fast tracking innovative projects in support of the global energy community. 
• How to harmonise national, regional, and continental activities to bring about the desired change. 
• How to incorporate and enable energy efficiency to achieve universal access to clean energy.
• Developing sustainable energy holistically without promoting one technology over another? 

The New Energy Verticals

New energy verticals have emerged to transform the development of energy across Africa. This session explores how new partnerships and cross sector companies have evolved new energy strategies that are driving an influx of new capacity and power development across the continent. In this session, two of the most compelling new business ventures that are trailblazing the continents energy sector share their journey into the new energy landscape.  

• Case study 1 (to be confirmed)
• Case study 2 (to be confirmed)

Interview: Africa Ready for the future Energy Landscape

As the economics of energy use and traditional industrial bases change, it is vital for us to look ahead and plan for our future economies in Africa. Can we look beyond decarbonisation to the fundamental overhaul of economic models, and learn from other industries around the world, to ensure a sustainable energy future in Africa?

Networking Lunch

De-Risking African Energy Projects

This session explores how African utilities, and the private sector can hedge against risks and make investments more attractive. It will examine the policy, regulation and tools available and what governments are doing to accelerate investment in their national energy sector.

Public-Private Models to Unlock South Africa’s Grid Capacity

Africa is facing a considerable challenge in attracting investment due to insufficient grid capacity and distribution capabilities. This session will discuss the market mechanisms and technical solutions that can be adopted to develop the grid capacity.

Networking Coffee Break

Big industry: Consumer-Backed Decarbonisation of African Power Markets

This session explores how commercial, industrial, and mining consumers are actively contributing to the introduction of more renewable energy into African power systems. We invite Africa’s industrial leaders to share how they are successfully collaborating with stakeholders to contract more renewable energy or to supply excess energy from their embedded capacity.

Power Pools - Cross Boarder Harmonisation and Creating Regional Scale

Cross border harmonization of the electricity transmission network, regulatory principles and tariff frameworks at regional and continental levels are expected to bring about massive benefits, these include increased cross-border trading and power pooling, as well as enhanced access to electricity at regional and continental levels. But how can regional power pools and their core member utilities engage private sector entities such as generators, traders and industrial consumers to get involved? How can they create scalable opportunities, innovative business models and new market structures that are sustainable, equitable and competitive?

Areas for discussion include:

• From the perspective of Power Pools, what is the state of technical preparedness to enable full regional connectivity?
• What are the regulatory frameworks that would enable the smooth operation of power pools once full connectivity has been achieved?
• Effectively functioning power pools will require further investment in underlying infrastructures and a critical mass of distributed generation capacity, but also a shift in thinking from short-term oriented objectives towards long-term gains. What role would the private sector play in this?

End of Day One

Keynote Address

Green Energy and System Management: The Roles of Liquid Fuels, Biofuels and Battery Storage to Increase Supply

This session explores how the contribution of renewable energy alternatives such as liquid fuels, biofuels and battery storage can deliver a diverse mix of renewable resources at scale to advance Africa’s green energy transition.

Green Hydrogen Showcase: A Roadmap for the Regional Hydrogen Corridor

The discussion around hydrogen has accelerated in line with the global demand to decarbonize and the need for innovation and development surrounding green energy in Africa. Key projects around the Boegoebaai
Green Hydrogen Project in the Namakwa Special Economic Zone, the Platinum Valley Initiative in South Africa and Namibia`s drive surrounding the Namibia Green Hydrogen and Derivatives Strategy will offer tangible solutions to the regional energy security conundrum. This session sets out how regional projects have gained traction and the socio-economic upside of large-scale hydrogen investment.  

Areas for discussion include: 

• The role of hydrogen in the development of independent energy security across Africa
• Country specific roadmaps to becoming exporters of green hydrogen-derived products.
• How can hydrogen enable the decarbonization of domestic and regional industries across the region? 
• What are the socioeconomic impacts of the development of Green Hydrogen hubs in Southern Africa? 
• How can we ensure African are included in the green hydrogen revolution? – In what ways can we promote diversity and encourage the participation of youth and women? 

Networking Coffee Break

Sustainable Energy case studies

This session features a series of case studies from leading energy companies across Africa, who are delivering sustainable energy projects, with strong socioeconomic outcomes.

The role of African Critical Minerals in the Global Energy Transition

Whilst the commitment via the Paris Agreement and national NDCs are making headway, the major international challenge is the supply of critical minerals. When you consider every international market will be scrambling for critical minerals such as Cobalt, Copper, Nickel, Lithium and Zinc which will be in deficit. How can Africa capitalise and supply the huge demand for critical minerals to power the global energy transition.

Across this session we will hear from manufacturers, technology providers and mining companies as to how the critical minerals market will play out, the impact it will have on the cost of the energy transition and the viability, cost, and availability of critical minerals to make the regional and international energy transition possible.

Networking Lunch

Presentation: The African Continental Power System Masterplan

Africa is set to welcome in an unprecedented moment in the coming year with the region being connected from Cape Town and Cairo, ushering in a new dawn through continental political co-operation that will give Africa the scale for investment via the Power System Masterplan (CMP), which has identified the critical infrastructure needed to create an African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM)

The Policy and Regulatory Framework Needed to Attract Investment

Investment in sustainable energy requires a clear and stable policy and regulatory environment, which effectively balances commercial, social and environmental interests. Policy uncertainty, incoherent regulations and social and environmental conflicts will effectively deter investment in sustainable energy. Leaders in finance and energy, social activists and regulators identify the regulatory risk deterring investment in sustainable energy; and what can be done to mitigate them.

Areas for discussion include:

• From the regulatory perspective, what are the necessary policy reforms in the energy sector that would attract development finance?
• What are some of the policy and regulatory issues that may impede funding from commercial financial institutions?
• Given the scale of the energy crises in South Africa, why are many energy initiatives ending up in court?
• Regulatory clarity surrounding the Green finance taxonomy

Financing Sustainable Energy

Africa needs stable, low-cost, sustainable power supplies to attract the businesses and investment needed for the economic and social development of its people and countries. This will require massive investment in sustainable energy projects. Leaders in finance and energy identify what is needed to attract the necessary scale of investment, while activists and regulators also set out their needs.

Areas for discussion include:

• What does the financial sector require to increase capital flow into sustainable energy projects in Africa?   
• What can financial institutions do to develop robust ESG strategies?
• The role of financial institutions transitioning big clients and emitters on to sustainable energy?
• Innovative Sustainability Financing driving the integration of renewables

Networking Coffee Break

A Just Energy Transition

Using South Africa as a case study, stakeholders will help unpack what a Just Energy Transition would look like, the financing required and finding the balance between national interests and international responsibilities.

• What are the distinctions between climate finance and just transition finance?
• Is continued financing of fossil fuels part of the JET?
• The Just Transition Pathways Project: National Business Initiative.
• JET Investment Plan and COP 26 and 27 Commitments (Updated NDC)
• New World Bank and IMF Development Committee Operating Model (October 2023)

Closing Keynotes

End of Day Two