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Until now, donor funding for the South African energy sector has focused on smaller, alternative energy projects. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has just announced that it is to provide

London-based Soco International has written off $79.5m associated with costs incurred on the Albertine Graben Block V in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Soco carried out a seismic survey over a portion of Lake Edward in mid-2014. Processing of the data has been completed; interpretation is under way in the UK and should be completed by mid-2015. “After providing the DRC government with interpretation of the seismic results, Soco will have no further involvement in the block. Consequently, all costs incurred on Block V to date and any further costs anticipated in the course of 2015 have been written off as exploration expense in 2014,” the company said in its preliminary results statement.

Nigeria’s Oranto Petroleum is acquiring 2,000km2 of 3D seismic on the St Louis Shallow Block, which the company said would fulfil the first work programme commitment on the licence. The block contains two main four-way closures, Fish Eagle and Vulture, with prospective resources of 100m-200m barrels of oil. A third closure, Gainde, is located to the south. Oranto acquired the licence in 2015. A previous well, Cayar-1, was drilled on the block by Shell in 1977.

The Ministry of Finance has agreed a loan with the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) against future crude sales to finance infrastructure development and oil well rehabilitation, according to documents seen by African Energy. The loan, concluded in recent weeks, is worth $400m, two sources close to the market told African Energy.The structure of the deal is similar to an existing crude pre-sales agreement between the government and Afreximbank. Crude cargoes will be bought by local/Indian joint venture Trinity Energy and lifted by Glencore.

The African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (Appo) is seeking a leadership role as the continent’s oil and gas industry starts to mature. At the heart of its ambitions lies its members’ common aim to unshackle themselves from dependence on international oil companies (IOCs). Much as the technical and financial contribution of IOCs is understood and desired, at another level it is also resented. Appo’s aim is to create a new Africa-wide solidarity that would enable its members to deal with the global industry on a more equal basis.

Three 14MW turbines have arrived on site for the Phase II expansion of the Komsilga thermal power plant and the Saudi Development Fund has signed a loan of $77m for the construction of a high-voltage transmission line linking Nouakchott and Nouadhibou

Construction of the 130MW Kandadji hydropower project on the Niger River was officially launched on 26 March at a ceremony presided over by President Mahamadou Issoufou. The hydropower plant is being built by China Gezhouba Group Company in tandem with a 26-metre-high, 8.7km-long combined concrete and earthfill dam, on behalf of the High Commission for the Development of the Niger Valley (HCAVN) as part of the Kandadji Ecosystems Regeneration and Niger Valley Development Programme.

The start of exploration on Block 5B has yielded two dry wells, but Lundin Petroleum is optimistic that the WNPOC grouping can replicate the success of Block 5A despite the physical and political challenges of operating in a vast but isolated region of southern Sudan, writes Thalia Griffiths.

Canada’s Epsilon Energy has converted its study agreement into a production-sharing agreement (PSA) with the Ministry of Mines and Energy for an area of 79,345km2 in north-west Ethiopia (AE 147/18).

Société Nationale d’Electricité du Burkina (Sonabel) has extended the deadline for bids for the turnkey construction of two solar PV projects totalling 30MW to 29 April from the original date of 28 February. Bids are sought for the construction of a 20MW plant near Koudougou in Boulkiemdé province in the Centre-Ouest region (lot 1) and a 10MW facility in the city of Kaya, the capital of the province of Sanmatenga in the Centre-Nord region (lot 2), as well as their connection to the national grid.

The role of export credit agencies (ECAs) have been flagged up by Rand Merchant Bank infrastructure finance transactor Hugh Hawarden

A company owned by mining magnate Jean-Raymond Boulle has filed for arbitration against the government of Comoros at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris claiming it has exclusive oil and gas exploration and production rights throughout the archipelago’s territorial waters.

Société Tunisienne d’Electricité et du Gaz (Steg) is to invite bids for the development of its high- and medium-voltage electricity grid. The contracted works are to be financed by the Islamic Development Bank to meet the growing demand of Steg’s industrial and business customer base. According to the general procurement notice, Steg will launch two separate international tenders.

With elections now set to go ahead and new donor support in prospect, Côte d’Ivoire may finally be able to resume its central role in the West African regional economy

One country where progress is being made is Mozambique, where national utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM) has invested heavily in new connections over the past year, placing it under significant financial strain. Partly as a result, the government launched the Energy for All programme in 2018, which aims to achieve universal access to power by 2030 and sets out a new structure for electrification which takes some of the financial burden away from the utility.