Energy in Eswatini: The Untapped Power of Sugar Cane Bagasse

By Mbonisi Ngcamphalala

It’s evening, and I was relaxing at my rented flat in Eswatini, getting ready to stream my favourite show on Netflix, when the boom… It was dark. No rumbling sound from my 18-year-old fridge and my laptop that was hanging on for dear life (because the battery was not what it used to be) could not hang on any longer as it blinked once and saw what I saw…darkness.

I opened my front door and to my confirmation, the whole grid had no electricity. It’s always funny how silence and solitude can get your brain processing at high levels of thinking power and it hit me. Load-shedding.

Ironically in my darkness, a light bulb happened in my troubled head and I got to really thinking about this. Eswatini is a country rich in agricultural resources and stands at a critical juncture in its energy journey. With rising electricity demand, frequent power imports from South Africa, and the need for sustainable development, we as a country must urgently diversify our energy sources.

Power of Bagasse

One promising but underutilized opportunity lies in sugar cane bagasse, the fibrous residue left after sugar extraction. Far from being agricultural waste, bagasse can power a revolution in renewable energy, rural development, and economic resilience.

Our sugar industry already produces significant amounts of bagasse annually. Currently, most of it is used for steam and electricity generation in sugar mills, particularly at Ubombo Sugar and Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation (RES).

However, the potential of this biomass extends far beyond powering mill operations. With appropriate investments and policies, bagasse can contribute significantly to the national grid, reducing reliance on imported electricity and fossil fuels. Which brings me to my next topic.

In my little research, I stumbled upon an interesting topic; Cogeneration, the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat from the same energy source. The by-product from the crushing of sugarcane, called bagasse, is recycled and used as boiler fuel in the sugar mills. It is burned at temperatures of 400ºC to 800ºC to produce steam, which is used as heat for milling and to drive turbines that generate electricity.

This process is called cogeneration. Turns out this is a proven technology already in use in several sugar-producing countries like Mauritius, Brazil, and India. In Mauritius, for example, approximately 40% of the country’s electricity is generated from bagasse-based cogeneration. Eswatini can follow this model by encouraging sugar mills to expand their cogeneration capacity and sell excess power to the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC).

Biomass Cogeneration

This would require regulatory support, attractive feed-in tariffs, and infrastructure upgrades to ensure grid stability and integration. Ubombo and RES Corp have invested billions of Emalangeni into biomass cogeneration projects and are supplying the national grid with the excess power they generate.

The EEC owns and operates four hydro-power plants that contribute 15% to 17% of the total energy consumed. Residual demand is met by power imported from Mozambique and South Africa (Eskom), according to an overview of the energy sector by USAID Power Africa.

Simunye Sugar Cogeneration Plant is producing power to support its own production processes and excess electricity is shared with residents of surrounding villages. At this stage, it does not sell power to the national grid. This got me thinking if there was a way to nationalize this.

The benefits of bagasse energy extend beyond just electricity. Firstly, it is a renewable, carbon-neutral resource. My science teacher would be proud right about now. Since sugar cane absorbs CO₂ during growth, burning bagasse essentially recycles carbon rather than adding to it. This, interestingly aligns well with Eswatini’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Secondly, expanding the use of bagasse could spur job creation in engineering, logistics, and maintenance, especially in rural communities near sugar mills, your Bigbend, Nsoko etc, contributing to national development goals, particularly in reducing poverty and rural-urban migration.

Government’s role

To fully realise this potential, the government must play a proactive role. A National Biomass Energy Strategy that outlines targets, incentives, and partnerships is needed. Public-private partnerships will be crucial, universities and vocational colleges should be encouraged to research and train professionals in biomass energy systems.

Further, Eswatini can explore exporting surplus green energy to neighbouring countries through the Southern African Power Pool, a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Southern Africa under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community.

This would mean turning our sugar fields into a strategic economic asset.

An argument may be raised that investing heavily in bagasse energy could divert attention from other renewables likesolar or hydropower. Now enter complementarity. What do I mean? Bagasse, as a seasonal and dispatchable energy source, can support grid stability when solar or wind output dips.

Combined, these sources can provide a more resilient and balanced energy mix. I understand the future in the energy sector might be solar and wind and most probably, investors are looking into such, but complementarity can also ease the load on the investing capacity of things. Maybe a date between EEC, Ubombo Sugar, Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation, the government and all involved stakeholders in green energy is long overdue. Kumbe bangabambisana laba bekunene kute kutokhanya kubese kusikhanyela sonkhe. Sitsi sidla sibe sikhanyisa tehehehe.

In conclusion, Eswatini has a golden opportunity to transform an agricultural by-product into a powerhouse of energy and development. Sugar cane bagasse should not be seen as waste but as green gold, a strategic asset waiting to power the future. By acting decisively, we, as a country can turn our sugar industry into a cornerstone of energy independence and climate-smart growth.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and don’t represent those of the publication.