GFA ENERGY SECTOR: STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Posted on 8 Jun, 2020 by Ulrich Theuerkauf

COVID-19’s sudden arrival has impacted societies all over the world and continues to threaten the stability of health care systems as well as the economic and financial sectors that include education, public services and infrastructure. The pandemic has demonstrated how vulnerable human society is to external shocks. All countries and economies are affected; however the developing countries have far fewer resources and less structure in place to effectively manage the collective impact. COVID-19 is a case that demands a need to ensure resilience of the health care systems along with prioritising all other societal subsystems of the political and economic agendas of governments. Alternative external shocks such as new pandemics along with the inevitable consequences of climate change including large-scale droughts, floods, hurricanes and so forth are likely to manifest.

The energy sector is a crucial component of the response to COVID-19, as it provides the essential infrastructure required for the stable functionality of all health, education, governance, household and industrial systems. A reliable energy supply system; and especially a stable supply of electricity, is a key component hereto. Developing countries face additional challenges within the context of a crisis, as there is often inadequate energy-supply due to limits in the generating capacities, unreliable distribution systems and transport, along with the compounding effect of extremely inefficient energy usage patterns from the demand side.

This paper outlines the perspectives held by the GFA energy team about how the energy sector can contribute to establish resilient societies in future by providing sustainable, flexible and resilient energy solutions that are both technically robust and economically feasible. We reference current dialogue within the international development community, including, amongst others, the development specialists, energy experts, development banks and policy makers.(...)

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