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The $2.9bn Julius Nyerere dam’s first 235MW turbine has started dispatching power, and a second unit is expected online very soon, as the much-delayed 2.1GW megaproject starts to fulfil its potential to supply national and regional demand – provided long-standing questions around the transmission infrastructure can be overcome, writes Marc Howard.

With crude now flowing through the 1,982km Niger-Benin Export Pipeline, a fivefold increase in oil production beckons for Niger, amid signs that Niamey is emerging from post-coup isolation and has mended ties with Ecowas and the US – a critical factor in developing the greenfield uranium mine at Dasa.

The authorities have offered development support to an initial ten independent power producer schemes, in a policy shift designed to enhance the bankability of IPP projects and encourage more private sector players to contribute to Zimbabwe’s faltering electricity generation infrastructure. African Energy examines the new scheme and looks at the state of power generation throughout a country where peak demand outstrips available supply – a situation that has lately been worsened by declining water levels at the Kariba Dam.

A drought has sharply reduced electricity generation in Zambia, prompting state-owned power utility Zesco to start rationing electricity. An eight-hour daily electricity rationing programme started on 11 March, in response to a reduced level of generation from Zesco’s drought hit hydroelectric power (HEP) plants.

Chinese firm Shanxi Construction is to develop a rare Eritrean utility-scale project, funded by the African Development Bank’s first energy investment in the country.

Australian junior Deep Yellow has raised the equity to fund development of its flagship Tumas uranium project, where a new NamPower grid connection and 20MWp solar IPP are planned to supply power.

London AIM-listed Chariot has confirmed that a feasibility study for the 10GW Project Nour green hydrogen (GH2) project had been completed and handed to the Mauritanian government.  Chariot and project partner TotalEnergies are planning a phased development. The Mauritanian government has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for several other large GH2 projects as it aims to be “the largest producer and exporter of hydrogen on the African continent.”

Italian major Eni has announced a new find on Block CI-205, which it called the second-largest hydrocarbons discovery to date in Côte d’Ivoire, following its Baleine discovery in 2021.

France’s TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy have signed a farm-in agreement to take majority control between them of Block 3B/4B, offshore South Africa. Existing partners say the block is on trend with major Orange Basin discoveries including Venus and Graff offshore Namibia.

Mining companies are planning to cut thousands of jobs in response to negative domestic and international factors, which could cause wider economic problems and difficulties for the government in the run-up to the late May general election. Critical minerals offer huge potential, but structural constraints weigh heavy on investors.

Hive Hydrogen has signed an agreement with Cape Town-based Genesis Eco-Energy Developments to secure 372MW of wind electricity for its multi-billion dollar Coega green ammonia plant in Nelson Mandela Bay.  

CFM’s appointment to manage the Southern African Power Pool ’s $1.3bn Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility could free up a decades-long blockage in the development of cross-border transmission infrastructure. How quickly this happens depends on the success of fundraising efforts in the coming months, and the willingness of utilities and finance ministries to make the RTIFF scheme work.

Commissioning of Geometric’s 141MW Aba gas-to-power plant adds sorely-needed on-grid capacity.  Selling to its own ringfenced distribution network, Aba also points to a potential new model of vertical integration. Meanwhile, the Tinubu government’s bold macro reforms have contributed to a significant economic crisis. It is nonetheless pushing on with efforts to repay $2.16bn owed to IPPs, although some question where the money will come from, write Leonard Lawal in Lagos and Marc Howard.

The issue leads with Nigeria, where commissioning of the Aba gas-to-power plant adds sorely-needed on-grid capacity. The Tinubu government is pushing on with efforts to repay debts owed to IPPs, although some question where the money will come from. African Energy looks at Nigeria's economic woes with the consequences of President Tinubu’s reforms causing immense difficulties for a majority of Nigeria's estimated 226m population, as the price of staples soars. The issue also focuses on green hydrogen with a lead article on Egypt, where, if schemes can be proved bankable, tens of billions of dollars of investment could transform the country's economic prospects.   Power sector coverage leads with Namibia, where industry sources have told African Energy the authorities have drastically downsized the amount of power allowed for export, making export-oriented IPP plants economically unviable. Upstream coverage leads with Morocco, where Energean is eying accelerated development for its offshore Lixus gas play. Transition minerals coverage focuses on Guinea where the country's two main bauxite producers are both advancing plans to build 1m t/yr alumina refineries in Boké, which could add gigawatts to electricity demand and may require significant LNG imports. African Energy also examines Guinean politics, where embattled interim President Colonel Mamady Doumbouya leader has dismissed the government amid opposition manoeuvres. A new Risk Management Report focuses on Kenya. President Ruto's government has secured $1.65bn from a dollar eurobond, allowing Nairobi to avert the threat of default on its big repayment due in June but the economy remains fragile, while the electricity supply industry is in need of a significantly improved performance. The African Energy View examines the prospects for Namibian politics following the death of President Hage Geingob.

Revised in March 2024, this map provides a detailed view of the power sector in Nigeria. The locations of power generation facilities that are operating, under construction or planned are shown by type – including liquid fuels, gas and liquid fuels, natural gas, coal, hybrid, hydroelectricity, nuclear, solar PV, wind and biomass/biogas. An inset provides greater detail for the region covering Onitsha, Port Harcourt and Calabar, while four smaller insets provide a closer look at Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and the gas projects around and to the east of Port Harcourt. A small table lists the largest operating independent power producers (IPPs) Generation sites are marked with different sized circles to show sites of 4-9MW, 10-99MW, 100-999MW and 1,000MW and above. Operating IPPs of 10MW and above are also indicated. Existing and future transmission and distribution lines are shown ranging from 132kV to 330kV. Actual and planned cross-border interconnectors are also shown including lines to Benin, Niger and Cameroon. Power generation data was drawn from our African Energy Live Data platform, which contains project level detail on power plants and projects across Africa. The map is presented as a PDF file using eps graphics, meaning that there is no loss of resolution as the file is enlarged.