In the “Voices of Hydro” series, hydropower industry leaders provide insights on opportunities and challenges within the sector and the measures their organisations are taking to advance sustainability. These stories shed light on the people who keep our lights on, supply affordable energy and protect communities from floods and droughts.

I am Anton-Louis Olivier, CEO of Serengeti Energy and Chairman of the International Hydropower Association Board

I consider myself a entrepreneur, an engineer and a hydropower enthusiast. Most of my career has been spent developing, constructing and then owning and operating hydropower plants. In 2006, I founded Renewable Energy Holdings with a focus on small hydropower in South Africa. At the time, the regulatory and commercial pathway for privately owned power plants was still largely untested. I identified an opportunity for a powerplant which ended up being the first powerplant recognised and licenced as an independent power producer (IPP) in South Africa. The same project was one of the first projects in South Africa to sell carbon credits.  On the back of this first project, I expanded my business beyond the border of South Africa and in 2021 my business partners and I sold the company. This exit enabled me to pursue new opportunities and to work on some of the larger private hydropower projects currently under development in Africa.

In 2023 I joined Serengeti Energy as CEO, and today I lead a company that develops, owns and operates hydropower, solar and battery storage projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

I first joined the IHA in 2014 as I realised in order to understand the business of hydropower I needed to build a network in the industry. I later became a board member and has been Chairman of the board since 2023. As Chairman of the IHA Board, I also have the privilege of bringing my practical and commercial experience into the international conversation about hydropower’s future.

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What challenge in the hydropower sector is your organisation working to address?

Africa needs significantly more reliable and affordable electricity to support economic growth, industrial development and rising living standards. For me, this is what makes hydropower so important. It is a home-grown resource that can strengthen energy security, reduce exposure to imported fuels and provide the dependable electricity needed to support industry and integrate other renewables.

At Serengeti Energy, our role is to turn that potential into operating projects. This means navigating the technical, financial and regulatory challenges, while ensuring that projects create value in the countries and communities where they are built.

A hydropower plant should never be viewed only in terms of its installed capacity. Its real contribution includes the businesses it powers, the jobs and skills it creates, the local companies it supports and the public revenues it generates. Even a relatively small project can have an economic impact far beyond its megawatts.

What key technology or innovation is your organisation focused on?

For us, innovation is not limited to technology. Some of the most important innovation in hydropower is happening in the way projects are structured, financed and connected to customers.

Hydropower projects require significant upfront investment but can produce reliable electricity for many decades. The challenge is to create commercial structures that recognise that long-term value while allocating risk appropriately between developers, lenders, investors and offtakers. At Serengeti Energy, we work with development finance institutions, commercial banks, utilities, electricity traders and corporate consumers to develop models that can attract capital and bring more projects to into operation.

Boston Hydro is a good example. Rather than relying on a traditional utility offtake arrangement, its electricity is wheeled through South Africa’s national grid and via a power trader it sold to private commercial consumers under a long-term agreement. This gives businesses access to reliable, renewable electricity while creating a viable route to market for a new hydropower project.

This kind of financial and commercial innovation will be essential if Africa is to mobilise investment at the scale required. The technology is proven. Our task is to build financing and offtake models that allow good projects to move from potential to construction and ultimately into operation.

What are you most proud of at the moment?

I am proud that my work has helped private hydropower as a credible part of Southern Africa’s energy landscape. When we began developing these projects, there was no straightforward route to licensing, financing or delivering them. Each successful plant made the next one more possible and helped build confidence in the wider sector.

Hydropower is unique in its longevity. Some of the first hydropower plants developed in the late 19th century are still in operation. Something that I learned from my colleagues at the IHA is that a hydropower developer has a certain responsibility beyond just the technical and commercial impact of a powerplant, because what you create will long outlast you. I try and imbed this view in the powerplants I develop and build. Part of this obligation to the future is embodied in the exterior design of the powerplant. This is the only bit of the powerplant that most people will ever see.

The 4.4 MW Stortemelk Hydropower Plant remains a particularly meaningful example. It uses existing water infrastructure, has a limited environmental footprint and was designed to sit respectfully within the surrounding landscape and be a local landmark. The plant received a two awards for Architecture from the South African Institute of Architects. It is unusual for a power station to be recognised for its architecture, and these awards demonstrated that functional infrastructure can also be sustainable, thoughtful and beautifully designed.

Today, as Chair of the IHA Board, I am proud to represent a sector that provides far more than electricity. Hydropower strengthens economies, creates jobs, supports communities and gives countries greater control over their energy future. But most of all hydropower congregates around it a global pool of smart, motivated and inspiring people. We can all be proud to be part of the hydropower community!

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