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A proposal to add 300MW of solar PV in a Greater Cotonou industrial zone would reshape the small West African economy’s power sector if implemented, but analysis of the African Energy Live Data platform suggests a more incremental approach will be necessary given Benin’s rocky record of project implementation, alternative GTP ambitions and the sheer size of what is proposed compared to operating capacity.

Nigerien oil production could increase fivefold as a result of the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline, which is expected soon to ship its first cargo from the Sèmè-Kraké terminal. With traders competing to land marketing rights for Niamey’s share of up to 90,000 b/d of crude supply, the revenues will significantly aid the military regime, whose hold on the government has consolidated as General Abdourahamane Tiani’s junta has sought to cement ties with China and others.

It is unlikely electric cars will come to dominate African roads for decades, but in the likes of Kenya and Benin battery-powered buses, motorbikes and industrial vehicles could have a radical impact on urban environments and commercial operations. Investors are lining up to support e-mobility projects in the most attractive markets, but in many jurisdictions the lack of capital, infrastructure and policy support and the high cost of vehicles are holding back what could be a revolution, write Tonderayi Mukeredzi and Jon Marks.

The West African Power Pool (Wapp) has inaugurated its Information and Co-ordination Centre (ICC) at its headquarters in Cotonou, Benin.

The 1,982km Niger-Benin export pipeline (NBEP) has been nominally commissioned by Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, although in reality it will be some months before any crude oil is exported along the route.

The coup d’état in Niger appears to be undermining oil and gas sector ambitions in neighbouring Benin, with London Stock Exchange-listed independent Zenith Energy citing regional political instability as a reason for pulling out of talks for a production-sharing contract to resume output from Block 1 and potential delays anticipated to the $7bn Niger-Benin export pipeline (NBEP), which was due to be completed this year.

Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) has signed a public/private partnership agreement to build the 25MWp second phase of the Illoulofin solar PV development in the Pobè region, the trading arm of Japan’s Toyota Group said on 10 August.

The $7bn Niger-Benin Export Pipeline (NBEP) is now 70% complete, Nigerien energy minister Mahamane Sani Mahamadou was told on 7 February, during a site visit to what is being promoted as Africa’s longest oil pipeline.

The Ministry of Water and Mines has awarded Zenith Energy three months’ exclusivity to negotiate and finalise a production-sharing contract (PSC) for the offshore Block 1, containing the mature Sèmè oil field.

The government has secured support for development including a 140MW dual-fuel thermal power plant in Glo-Djigbé, the development zone some 45km from Cotonou. Completion is expected in 2024.

The Niger-Benin Export Pipeline (NBEP), which will transport oil 1,982km from the Agadem Rift Basin (ARB) in Niger to Benin’s Atlantic oil terminal in Sèmè-Kraké port, may serve to revive Beninois crude production.  

What will be Africa’s longest oil pipeline is now 30% complete and forecast to increase landlocked Niger’s oil exports tenfold in a ‘transformative’ Chinese-owned project that forms part of Beijing’s long-term play in the region. Other actors are looking to ramp up production using the infrastructure, with Niger – on the frontline of battle against jihadism in the Sahel – also being courted by the West.

Energicity has announced the completion of two mini-grids, at Takpatchiomè and Gougouta in the Couffo department. Energicity was awarded a construction, operation and maintenance contract for 20 mini-grids in the Zou, Couffo and Collines departments under the Off-Grid Clean Energy Facility (OCEF), one of five concessionaires to sign deals.

Energy minister Jean Houssou has commissioned the 25MW Defissol solar PV plant, Benin's first large solar PV project. The project was financed by Agence Française de Développement, the European Union and Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed a €10m ($10.2m) local currency loan backing the deployment of 107,000 solar home systems in Benin by Engie Energy Access. The systems are expected to provide power to around 643,000 people.