Afrika na radare EÚ. Prípadová štúdia DESERTEC
Africa on the EU's Radar. A Case Study of DESERTEC

Summary/Abstract: The global strive for energy resources intensified by rapidly growing thirst for energies in China and India is placing Africa on the radar screen of the majority of the energy importers. This fact combined with the depletion of own energy resources and a strive for carbon-free energy, provided incentives for the EU to modify its long-term neglected strategy towards the "black continent". The EU is now looking to Africa - especially its Norther part - for energy security. Besides conventional energy resources - such as oil and natural gas (or LNG) - Europe is planning to take advantage of a unique African climate and promote renewables, especially photovoltaic and water power plants. Electricity generated from these sources should not only help tackle energy powerty on the African continent, but it should be also exported to Europe and by 2050 make up for 15 per cent of the total electricity consumption of the EU. This is the core of the DESERTEC project. Yet, in order to make this extremely ambitious plan come true, the EU will not only have to deal with the competing projects of other energy importers, but also tackle many technical and political obstacles, not to mention extremely high costs of such a project. The aim of this paper is to elaborate on the EU's energy strategy for Africa and the likelihood of its fruitfulness, and this being ilustrated mainly on the case study of the DESERTEC project, its pros and cons. The whole paper is based on the Copenhagen school and its perception of energy security.

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