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Amid the worst economic crisis since the Mubarak regime’s collapse in 2011 – highlighted by another credit downgrade in early May – foreign investors in Egypt are struggling to convert their local profits into hard currency. But even in this tough business environment some investors and financiers are signing up to major new renewable energy commitments, suggesting the prospects for profit and strategic positioning still outweigh the risks from dysfunction.

The resumption of work appears to be edging closer on the TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project and ExxonMobil’s nearby Rovuma LNG scheme, amid an improving security situation and indications of support from international partners. However, rising costs are overtaking security issues as a primary concern and could yet lead to further delays, writes Marc Howard.

The issue leads with Angola, where international energy majors are investing to raise oil and gas output and developing solar plants, while others are looking to tap into Angola’s critical minerals and other resources plays. With news flow suggesting considerable activity in diverse energy-related industries, but wary of governance shortfalls, African Energy asks: is it time for investors to get excited about Angola? Power coverage includes a focus on Africa's growing C&I sector. According to the African Energy Live Data platform, the capacity of plants supplying electricity to commercial and industrial customers around Africa is expected to grow by 25% in two years. Oil and gas coverage leads with Gabon, which is looking to reverse historic output decline as offshore drilling builds up, and includes a feature on Mozambique where energy majors are inching closer to resuming work on LNG projects. The African Energy View examines the impetus needed to drive Sapp’s potentially transformational cross-border transmission model, which is experiencing bureaucratic barriers for a key financing facility that could unblock projects held in limbo for years.

Xinfeng Investment’s mining licence 243, which the Chinese firm intended to use to build a lithium mine and processing plant, has been revoked by the Namibian government, which said it was misled. There had been significant local opposition to Xinfeng’s plans, and a history of controversy surrounding the licence, write Marc Howard and Our Namibia Correspondent, in a special feature jointly published with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are often central to whether a project can move ahead, with the first two of these often the determining factors. But “in Angola it’s G that is often much more important than E and S,” a consultant active in southern Africa told African Energy.

Published May 2023, this graphic combines a map and charts to illustrate the extent and evolution of commercial & industrial (C&I) power generation capacity across Africa.

Electricity projects supplying commercial and industrial customers had a total capacity of 5.9GW as of Q1 2023, analysis of the latest information on the African Energy Live Data platform shows – and that is almost certainly a substantial under-estimate. With companies in many countries, led by South Africa and Nigeria, looking to overcome weaknesses in their national grid supply, projects at various stages of planning are expected to add at least a further 1.5GW by 2025 – and probably more, as investors seek comfort in C&I supply.

The 100MW Sirakoro heavy fuel oil (HFO) plant has been connected to Energie du Mali (EdM)’s grid, according to Lebanese engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor Matelec.

Dutch developer Gigawatt Global Coöperatief is to double the 7.5MW Mubuga solar PV plant’s capacity in a rare investment success for Burundi.

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Peak Rare Earths (PRE) has been granted a special mining licence (SML) by Tanzania's government for its Ngualla rare earth project. The $321m project involves a mine, mill and concentrator plant in southern Tanzania, 150km from Mbeya.

Australian Securities Exchange-listed Invictus Energy has established the existence of light oil, gas condensate and helium at its Cabora Bassa oil and gas exploration project in Muzarabani, in northern Zimbabwe.

The Nigerien Ministry of Energy and Renewable Energies (known by its French acronym Meer) said on 10 May it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with London AIM-listed Savannah Energy for two solar PV plants.

The planned East African Crude Oil Pipeline project continues to face financing difficulties – and the DRC’s hopes that Eacop capacity may be on offer to evacuate its own eventual Lake Albert exports seem overblown – but officials in Kampala are also pushing ahead with plans for a third licensing round and a 60,000 b/d refinery, write James Gavin and African Energy staff.

Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.

Although Angola’s renewable energy potential is exciting some industry interest, an electricity supply industry that is based on large hydroelectric power (HEP) and gas-to-power plants to provide baseload is unlikely to be radically transformed in the coming years. Amid concern over the impact of low water levels on HEP generation, it is natural gas that will occupy most government attention.