Issue 519 PDF: South Africa’s ‘big bang’ moment


AE 519 cover
Issue 519 - 27 Jan 2025

The issue leads with South Africa. Africa’s most industrialised country has seen its economic growth stymied by years of woefully inadequate power provision. Better late than never, a series of liberalising reforms have started to bear fruit. Most notably, the unbundling of vertically integrated utility Eskom symbolises a ‘big bang’ moment that is expected to attract further investment to South Africa’s booming renewable IPP market.

African Energy examines the potential impact of the reforms and reports on progress with the country's battery energy storage independent power producer (Besippp) programme and the seventh bid window of the renewable energy
independent power producer procurement (Reippp) programme.

African Energy also focuses on Senegal, where progress at offshore oil and gas fields has bolstered Dakar’s case for using hydrocarbons revenue to fund economic development and its goal of using the gas for power generation. But more work is still needed, not least on pipelines to bring the gas onshore so state utility Senelec and IPPs can boost gas-fired capacity.

Power coverage includes a look at Tunisia, where a second round of solar PV tenders has been launched and first-round awards, including an unexpected third concessionaire, have been confirmed.

As Burkina Faso’s junta struggles to increase electricity investment, African Energy and African Energy Live Data have delved into the history of the country's power procurement.

Our analysis examines the projects that have worked and those that have not, to assess the prospects for the ambitious next phase in the country's  renewable energy and electrification programmes, which  will need private developers and financers as well as generous institutional backing.

African Energy also examines the impact of drought on generation output from Mozambique's Cahora Bassa hydroelectric power plant – which supplies over 1GW to South Africa and additional output to other Southern African Power Pool (Sapp) countries – and looks at the signing of the Mbale-Bulambuli-Kween high-voltage independent transmission project in Uganda.

Oil and gas coverage also includes a focus on South Sudan where the resumption of crude deliveries to Port Sudan via the Petrodar pipeline is an important milestone. Juba should now be able to ramp up oil exports, a vital source of hard currency. However, South Sudan’s dependence on two pipelines that traverse war-torn Sudan remains a point of vulnerability, prompting renewed interest in a possible third pipeline that would run to Lamu Port on Kenya's coast.

The African Energy View focuses on Nigeria and the challenges faced by President Bola Tinubu as he promises to end debilitating oil thefts in the Niger Delta.

 

Subscribe to African Energy

View subscription options

This newsletter is available to subscribers or registered users that have purchased it

Login

Don't have an account?

Register for access to our free content

An account also allows you to view selected free articles, set up news alerts, search our African Energy Live Data power projects database and view project locations on our interactive map

Register