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With the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (Pida) framework endorsed by African leaders in 2012 returning the development focus to big dams, there is an increasing amount of research into how climate change may affect future water supply. Pida includes a Priority Action Plan which calls for an expansion of hydroelectric power generation capacity by more than 54GW. The listed priority projects, currently being designed on the basis of the historical climate, will jump to the head of the queue for donor funds and government approvals.

India’s Essar Energy Overseas has agreed to buy a 50% stake in Kenya Petroleum Refineries Ltd (KPRL) from Shell Petroleum, Chevron Global and BP Africa. The government holds the other 50% equity in the 4m t/yr Mombasa refinery. The shareholders had been looking to sell up because they were reluctant to finance a planned upgrade.

The trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Kenyan deputy president William Ruto was adjourned for a week on 23 September after Ruto asked for a suspension to enable him to return to Nairobi to handle the aftermath of an attack on the city’s Westgate shopping mall. Ruto went on trial on 10 September along with radio presenter Joshua arap Sang, charged with crimes against humanity in relation to their alleged role in co-ordinating the violence that swept Kenya in the aftermath of the country’s contested 2007 elections.

CONGO-B: Marine XI farm-out brings in Vietnamese; MAURITANIA: Khop well spuds; TUNISIA: Vietnamese take two blocks; TUNISIA: DualEx enters with Bouhajla stake

The government on 6 June signed an agreement with a Chinese consortium to build the 240MW Busanga hydro scheme. The dam will be built on the Upper Congo River in Katanga province, downstream from two existing hydro plants, primarily to supply Société Sino-Congolaise des Mines (Sicomines). Moïse Ekanga, director of the China-DRC cooperation office, said construction was expected to take five years. The Sicomines joint venture and the Busanga hydro scheme are part of a cooperation agreement signed with Beijing in 2007.

The 300MW Tarfaya wind farm has begun generating electricity and will be fully operational in October. The plant is being developed by GDF Suez, in partnership with Morocco’s Nareva Holding, at a site on the southern Atlantic coast. GDF Suez won the contract to construct the project on a build-own-operate-transfer basis in February 2013 (AE 248/8). The wind farm consists of 131 80-metre turbines. As part of efforts to secure its energy supplies and meet rising demand, Morocco aims to generate 2GW from wind and 2GW from solar by 2020, representing almost half the country’s total generation capacity.

Addax Petroleum has farmed into the shallow water OPL 227 in the western Niger Delta, taking 40%. The other partners are two Nigerian companies, Express Petroleum & Gas Company Ltd (which retains 39%) and Petroleum Prospects International Ltd (21%). Express remains the operator but Addax Petroleum has taken the position of technical advisor.

Supply/Demand. Tanzania is in urgent need of new generating capacity. Demand is growing at 10-15%/yr and generation suffers from drought.

Impact Oil & Gas Limited has secured $40m via an open offer at 20p/share. The proceeds will be used to fund Impact’s share of costs for Total’s Venus-1 well offshore Namibia later in H1, and black economic empowerment company Arostyle Investments’ share of costs for the drilling of the Luiperd-1 exploration well offshore South Africa in Q2. Impact’s funding of Arostyle, agreed in December 2018, gives it exposure to Block 11B/12B, where Total announced the Brulpadda discovery in 2019.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) officially launched a public consultation process on 18 March for new procurement via the Section 34 Ministerial Determination. If Nersa gives its approval, the ministerial determination will allow procurement of new capacity set out in the country’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). However, disruption caused by the coronavirus – a three-week lockdown has been ordered from 26 March – is likely to delay the process, which was already expected to last three months for the emergency procurement and six months for the rest. Nersa has asked its staff to work from home.

US developer Symbion Power Tanzania Ltd on 13 March filed a request for arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris claiming breach of contract due to non-payment by Tanzania Electricity Supply Corporation (Tanesco) for power from the 126MW Ubungo plant (AE 331/1). Symbion says Tanesco has refused to pay for its power since the contract was agreed, claiming variously that the power purchase agreement (PPA) had been “put on hold”, never been signed or, later, that it had been rescinded.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative will hold its fourth international conference in Doha on 16-18 February 2009.

An Italian court will try six defendants in December on charges related to Saipem’s payment of €198m in bribes to secure approximately €8bn worth of contacts in Algeria. The most significant among the accused is the alleged go-between in the affair, Farid Bedjaoui, for whom Interpol has issued a red notice saying that he is wanted for “criminal associations leading to corruption”. He will be tried in absentia with two other Algerians. Three Italian senior Saipem executives will be in the dock, but the company’s country manager at the time will not, as he has struck a deal with prosecutors.

National Oil Corporation’s policy of opening its downstream to private investors is bearing fruit in the petrochemicals sector, where Norwegian fertiliser giant Yara International in February confirmed a joint venture with NOC and Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) to upgrade the Marsa Al-Brega urea and ammonia plant.

The World Bank Group-administered Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) is inviting expressions of interest from consultants to carry out a national multi-tier framework energy access household survey in Burkina Faso. ESMAP is supporting energy access surveys to establish a baseline to track progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 7, which covers access to an affordable, reliable and sustainable modern energy supply.