Clint Chetty | Chief Engineer | Overhead Lines | Africa | WSP | mail me |
Africa’s energy transition is often framed through the lens of generation. This includes new renewable energy projects, faster grid connections, industrial demand, community access, and economic growth. However, generation alone cannot power growth. Electricity must move safely, reliably, and at scale to reach the people, industries, and services that depend on it.
This is why transmission infrastructure deserves more attention in Africa’s energy transition. It is not always the most visible part of the electricity system. Power stations, solar plants, wind farms, and substations tend to attract more attention. Meanwhile, people often overlook transmission lines and the essential role they play. Yet hospitals, mines, factories, data centres, railways, communities, renewable energy projects, and more depend on the same basic requirement. Electricity must travel from where it is generated to where it is needed.
Generation alone isn’t enough
In my work on overhead transmission lines, I often encounter challenges that are both practical and strategic. Africa needs new electricity supply. However, it also needs the corridors, structures, lines, and engineering capabilities that enable electricity to travel long distances and across difficult terrain.
The pressure increases as renewable generation grows. Renewable resources are not always located close to demand centres. Wind, solar, hydro, and other generation opportunities may lie far from major cities or industrial loads. If the transmission network does not expand alongside generation, new projects may face delays or remain underused. They may also struggle to support the wider electricity system. Therefore, investment in transmission infrastructure must progress alongside investment in generation.
Transmission also involves more than building new lines. In many markets, existing transmission corridors need upgrades, reinforcement, or adaptation to carry more power and improve reliability. Utilities and grid operators must make careful decisions about where to build and where to strengthen existing networks. They must also balance immediate connection needs with long-term network planning.
The overlooked lines carry the transition
Overhead lines may look simple, but they are complex engineering assets. Several factors determine whether engineers can design and deliver a line successfully. These include route selection, terrain, tower design, conductor choice, clearances, environmental conditions, standards, access, constructability, and stakeholder engagement.
A transmission line exists beyond the drawing board. It crosses farms, communities, roads, rivers, mountains, and sensitive environments. Engineers must ensure that it performs in harsh weather and withstands electrical and mechanical stresses. It must also remain reliable for decades. Consequently, engineers cannot treat transmission design as a secondary consideration. Even small design decisions can have long-term consequences for reliability, maintenance, cost, and safety.
Transmission projects need engineers who understand both international standards and local realities. Different markets may apply different design requirements, while international clients often have their own working methods. A strong transmission team must understand these requirements without compromising sound engineering judgement. By combining technical expertise with local knowledge, engineers can develop transmission infrastructure that meets project requirements and responds to the conditions on the ground.
High voltage capability supercharges the future
South Africa has developed significant high-voltage transmission capabilities, including experience in 400 kV and 765 kV overhead line design. This experience is valuable because moving large volumes of electricity over long distances will become increasingly important as power systems evolve.
Experience with 765 kV transmission is particularly relevant because not every market has developed transmission capabilities at this voltage level. This creates an opportunity for African teams to contribute their expertise locally and internationally. Their knowledge can support markets where high-voltage transmission is becoming increasingly central to grid planning.
Part of my role has involved helping to grow our overhead line capabilities. The team has expanded quickly and already supports projects across African and international markets. As demand for transmission skills grows globally, combining local experience with international standards gives clients access to engineering capacity that is both practical and adaptable.
Transmission needs Africa’s engineers
One of the sector’s challenges is that people do not always see transmission as an exciting engineering field. Many young engineers gravitate towards areas that appear more visible or technology-driven. However, the electricity value chain depends on infrastructure that often operates behind the scenes.
For me, this is part of what makes transmission rewarding. It is not always the first asset people notice. Yet, without it, very little else in the electricity system can fulfil its intended purpose. Renewable energy, industrial growth, electrification, regional power trade, and grid resilience all depend on transmission corridors. Engineers must plan, design, and maintain these corridors with long-term system needs in mind.
Africa’s energy transition will require new generation capacity, investment, and stronger grid planning. It will also need transmission corridors that carry electricity to where it is needed. Equally important, Africa needs engineers who can design these corridors while balancing technical quality, cost, reliability, and local context. Investing in transmission infrastructure and developing the skills to deliver it will help connect new generation capacity to the people and industries that need electricity.
Transmission is the essential link that turns generation into usable power. For Africa’s energy transition to deliver growth, resilience, and access, stakeholders must treat transmission corridors as strategic infrastructure, not background equipment.
