Regional powers & energy integration: South Africa in the Southern African power pool

Thesis

Energy access is essential for sustainable development, yet more than half of sub- Saharan Africa lacks access to electricity. Regional energy integration is a viable solution to this problem, particularly through regional power pools (regional markets to trade electricity between utilities). However, African states have mostly developed their power sectors in isolation, and the role of regional powers – states exerting domination over regional processes – in these power pools is unpredictable. To address this puzzle, I investigate the participation of a particular regional power, South Africa, in the energy integration projects of its regional power pool, the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

Using data from 22 in-depth interviews of elite and expert actors in the Southern African energy sector, this qualitative-interpretive, single case study analysis builds theory and contributes to the literatures on regional powers, regional energy integration, and global political economy. I use thematic network analysis to generate intricate thematic networks of the factors shaping regional powers’ participation in regional power pools, and then map the interactions between relevant actors. This multifaceted analysis illuminates an important type of regional organisation hitherto neglected in International Relations literature.

Ultimately, I argue that South Africa’s participation in the SAPP can be explicated as a complex web of interactions between three interconnected groups of factors: regional political dynamics in Southern Africa, South African domestic factors, and the institutional characteristics of the SAPP. Contrary to the literature’s overemphasis of domestic electricity supply deficiencies, I argue that regional political dynamics are more important and co-constitute the other two groups of factors. I unmask key regional factors, including political willpower for regional cooperation and regional project financing, which contextualise the political motivations for South Africa’s energy policies and shape the commercial rationale for participating in regional power pools.

Authors: Tate, D

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-pramooe9z
• Type of award: MPhil
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electricity; Africa, Southern; World politics; Qualitative research; Regionalism; International economic relations; Energy policy