Eswatini has officially committed to renewing the landmark MOTRACO 400 kV transmission line agreement, which expires in 2026.
Prince Lonkhokhela, Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, issued the reassurance during bilateral talks with South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, at Summerfield Botanical Garden.
MOTRACO, jointly owned by Eswatini, South Africa, and Mozambique, operates a vital power transmission corridor in Southern Africa. It is a company co-owned equally by the three power utilities, each holding one-third. The company owns and manages the 400 kV transmission line connecting the three countries.
“We assure you that Eswatini is eager to renew these agreements, and there are many reasons,” the Minister said.
The bilateral meeting occurred shortly after the Eswatini Electricity Company announced it had been granted a license to operate a coal mine for its own power generation. Through this project, EEC aims to generate 1,500 MW, which is far above the country’s demand of 250 MW. Increased domestic generation capacity will eventually make the Kingdom a net exporter, necessitating strong interconnections to sell into the South African, Mozambican, and regional markets.
The Minister also highlighted the need for continued collaboration in engineering, project management, and regulatory oversight. He invited the South African team to share experiences from major projects such as Medupi and Kusile.
“May our two nations therefore also cooperate in the areas of capacity building and skills transfer as our engineers, project managers, and business analysts who will be involved in the expansion programme would certainly learn a lot from the teams,” he said.