Enabling equitable energy access for Mozambique? Heterogeneous energy infrastructures in Maputo's growing urban periphery
Smith, Shaun; Monstadt, Jochen; Otsuki, Kei
(2022) Energy Research and Social Science, volume 90, pp. 1 - 13
(Article)
Abstract
This article concerns the relationship between uneven peri-urban growth and heterogeneous energy infrastructures in Metropolitan Maputo, Mozambique. Much research has documented how the diversity and overlap of different energy configurations define energy access in African cities. However, very little attention has been given to how urban growth dynamics shape heterogeneity
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and vice versa. A growing concern in African cities is highly uneven growth patterns, the rise of middle classes, and the selective forms of infrastructural connectivity linked to such spatial dynamics. However, urban growth is often approached through distinct settlements such as gated or enclave communities. The growth dynamics of energy access in more typical peri-urban neighbourhoods with mixed socio-economic characteristics remains an underexplored theme. Therefore, the critical question of this article is whether heterogeneous energy infrastructures contribute to uneven peri-urban development patterns, or does heterogeneity offer a more pragmatic solution to energy access in such spaces? This question is explored in three mixed-dynamics peri-urban neighbourhoods in Maputo. We find that infrastructural heterogeneity results from the increasingly commercial electrification procedures that privilege urban density and from private solar-home-system providers who privilege higher paying customers. Both phenomena respond to, and subsequently reinforce, divergent underlying social conditions and the divergent demand for energy services. However, we also find that heterogeneous energy configurations embody the considerable capacities and pragmatism of local communities. While we conclude that infrastructural heterogeneity contributes to uneven urban growth, we also suggest that policy-makers work more closely with local actors to distribute the benefits of energy access more equitably.
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Keywords: Electricity, Energy, Equity, Heterogeneity, Maputo, Peri-urban, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Nuclear Energy and Engineering, Fuel Technology, Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
ISSN: 2214-6296
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Note: Funding Information: Interestingly, we found such companies were establishing networks of agents and offices in peri-urban locations. SolarWorks, for example, has three regional offices in districts surrounding Maputo (Matola, Moamba, and Manhiça). Fenix International was recently bought by the French energy giant Engie and states that it aims to “operate every province of Mozambique within the next three years and expects to reach over 200,000 households with clean energy and inclusive financial services”. Both SolarWorks and Fenix International have previously received funding from international donors. Previous research has highlighted how SHS are typically installed in ‘off-grid’, rural areas through developmentalist logics [58] . However, the higher prevalence of solar in some neighbourhoods indicate how this agenda has shifted to a commercial agenda for peri-urban spaces. SHS companies have essentially developed various packages which reflect and capitalise on the divergent underlying social conditions in peri-urban settlements between unconnected higher income groups and unconnected lower-income groups. Funding Information: EDM is the primary organisation responsible for peri-urban energy access. It does not, however, have a specific strategy for peri-urban areas. Mozambique's primary national energy goal is to universalise energy access by 2030, aligning to the Sustainable Development Goals [54] . However, financial limitations, dependence on foreign donors, poor maintenance of the grid, and increasing frequency of blackouts are some factors that cast doubt on the feasibility of achieving this goal [34] . In 2019, the Mozambican government received funding from the World Bank and other international donors for the ‘Mozambique Energy for All’ (ProEnergia) project, discussed earlier. ProEnergia is one of the first major electrification projects to explicitly include peri-urban areas. The government and EDM used ProEnergia as an umbrella to consolidate existing energy access strategies, projects, and funds [55] into three major ‘components’ ( Fig. 5 ). The first, implemented by EDM, focuses on ‘densification’ of the existing grid in targeted rural and peri-urban locations, initially through 350,000 new connections and new medium-voltage distribution lines and transformers [56] . Most (75%) new connections in the first phase are anticipated in ‘rural’ areas [56] , with peri-urban a less prominent part. The second component focuses on the national, high-voltage network, connecting unconnected districts, and unifying the grid. The third component, led by FUNAE, focuses on off-grid technologies (typically solar mini-grids and solar-home-systems (SHS)) in areas perceived to be too far from the existing grid. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
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