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Electric regionalism: Path dependence, development, and the African power pools

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  • Kathleen J. Hancock

Abstract

Low access, unreliable supply, and high‐cost electricity have hampered many African states' ability to grow their economies. Even high‐income states, like South Africa, are increasingly challenged to provide reliable electricity. To help address this shortfall, African states belong to five regional power pools: organizations that link together electricity grids of member states and create markets to buy and sell electricity across borders. Scholar have given scant attention to these power pools, and none have explored the politics behind their creation and maintenance. The path dependence framework reveals that the configuration of the power pools is directly related to the end of colonialism and the subsequent creation of regional organizations formed in the 1960's. Applying the comparative regionalism framework, I find the principal drivers for adding electricity to pre‐existing organizations fall into three categories: development interests (donor states and development banks), mining companies, and some African states, especially South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using organizations designed for other means might be hampering the region's ability to improve energy security, standards of living, and climate change goals. Donors and power pool members should consider investing more heavily in bilateral rather than regional organizations and in decentralized or distributed electricity systems. 低接入、不可靠的供应以及高成本的电力阻碍了许多非洲国家发展经济的能力。即使是像南非这样的高收入国家,在提供可靠电力方面也面临着越来越大的挑战。为了帮助应对电力不足,非洲国家加入了五个区域电力库组织,后者将成员国电网连接在一起并创建跨境买卖电力的市场。学者几乎没有关注这些电力库,也没有任何研究聚焦于“电力库的创建与维护”背后的政治。路径依赖框架表明,电力库的配置与殖民主义的终结以及随后在1960年代形成的区域组织直接相关。通过应用比较区域主义框架,我发现,为现有组织增加电力的主要驱动因素分为三类:发展利益(捐助国和开发银行)、矿业公司、以及一些非洲国家(尤其是南非和刚果民主共和国)。(如果)使用为其他方式而设计的组织,则可能会阻碍该地区在提高能源安全、生活水平和气候变化目标方面的能力。捐助国和电力库成员国应考虑更多地投资于双边组织而非区域组织、以及更多地投资去中心化或分布式电力系统。 El bajo acceso, el suministro poco confiable y la electricidad de alto costo han obstaculizado la capacidad de muchos estados africanos para hacer crecer sus economías. Incluso los estados de altos ingresos, como Sudáfrica, enfrentan cada vez más desafíos para proporcionar electricidad confiable. Para ayudar a abordar este déficit, los estados africanos pertenecen a cinco grupos regionales de energía: organizaciones que vinculan las redes eléctricas de los estados miembros y crean mercados para comprar y vender electricidad a través de las fronteras. Los estudiosos han prestado poca atención a estos grupos de poder, y ninguno ha explorado la política detrás de su creación y mantenimiento. El marco de la dependencia de la ruta revela que la configuración de los grupos de poder está directamente relacionada con el fin del colonialismo y la posterior creación de organizaciones regionales formadas en la década de 1960. Aplicando el marco del regionalismo comparativo, encuentro que los principales impulsores para agregar electricidad a las organizaciones preexistentes se dividen en tres categorías: intereses de desarrollo (estados donantes y bancos de desarrollo), empresas mineras y algunos estados africanos, especialmente Sudáfrica y la República Democrática de Congo. El uso de organizaciones diseñadas para otros medios podría estar obstaculizando la capacidad de la región para mejorar la seguridad energética, los estándares de vida y los objetivos de cambio climático. Los donantes y los miembros del grupo de poder deberían considerar invertir más en organizaciones bilaterales en lugar de regionales y en sistemas de electricidad descentralizados o distribuidos.

Suggested Citation

  • Kathleen J. Hancock, 2024. "Electric regionalism: Path dependence, development, and the African power pools," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 41(2), pages 347-368, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:revpol:v:41:y:2024:i:2:p:347-368
    DOI: 10.1111/ropr.12561
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    References listed on IDEAS

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